Persistent Postpartum Preeclampsia Occurrence and Associated Risk Factors in Ghana-A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Postpartum preeclampsia poses serious health risks including eclampsia, stroke, pulmonary edema, renal failure, and eventually death. However, there is a paucity of data on persistent postpartum preeclampsia among Ghanaian women, limiting the development of tailored interventions to reduce associated morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors associated with persistent postpartum preeclampsia in Ghana.

METHODS

A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at St. Joseph Hospital, Koforidua, involving 210 women. Medical records and folders were used to collect sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric data of the study participants. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The prevalence of persistent postpartum preeclampsia was 15.2%. After adjusting for multiple confounders in the multivariate logistic model, cesarean section delivery [(aOR = 4.72, 95% CI (1.90-11.72), p = 0.001)] and chronic hypertension [(aOR = 2.56, 95% CI (1.14-5.75), p = 0.022)] were associated with significantly increased odds of persistent postpartum preeclampsia. However, sociodemographic factors such as age, religion, marital status, education level, and occupation were not significantly associated with postpartum preeclampsia.

CONCLUSION

Persistent postpartum preeclampsia affects a considerable proportion of women in Ghana with cesarean delivery and chronic hypertension emerging as independent predictors. These findings highlight the need for close monitoring and follow-up care for women with these risk factors during the postpartum period.