anxiety during pregnancy and preeclampsia: a case- control study

Background & aim: preeclampsia is a common and dangerous complication of pregnancy, the reason for which remains unknown. multiple factors such as depression, as well as psychological and physical stress may be involved in its development. this study was performed to determine the relationship between anxiety during pregnancy and the incidence of preeclampsia. methods: this case-control study was conducted on 150 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 150 healthy pregnant women, who were all referred to health centers and university hospitals of mashhad in 2014. the diagnosis of preeclampsia was made by systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmhg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmhg accompanied with urinary protein excretion more than 300 mg/24 h. the cutoff point for the presence of anxiety was the score of ≥8; the score of 8-9 was mild anxiety, and the score of 20 indicated very severe anxiety. data collection tools included a form of demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory signs of preeclampsia, depression, anxiety, and stress scale (dass 21). independent t-test, mann-whitney, chi-square, and logistic regression model were performed using spss, version 16. results: we found a significant relationship between anxiety and preeclampsia (p<0.001), such that 26.7% of those with preeclampsia and 10.7% of the control group had anxiety. participants with anxiety had 2.90 fold increased risk of preeclampsia in comparison with those without it (or =2.90, ci95%: 1.46-4.26). conclusion: due to high risk of preeclampsia in women with anxiety during pregnancy, it can be considered as a risk factor for preeclampsia.