To assess the anthropometry of preeclampsia patients with and without comorbidities.
A transversal study, developed at the Guilherme Álvaro Hospital, located at Santos/Brazil. The anthropometric data from 72 women in the mediate postpartum was collected from January 2015 to May 2016. Inclusion criteria: mothers with PE according to the criteria of NHBPEP (2000). After recruitment and acceptance to participate in the study, the patients signed an informed consent. Data analyzed: body mass index (BMI-kg/m2), waist circumference (WC, cm) – with reference to the distance from the last rib to the iliac crest, divided by two, and comorbidities associated: diabetes mellitus (DM) and systemic arterial hypertension (SAH). The frequency was calculated by Fisher’s exact test and comparisons between groups, by the Mann-Whitney test (significance value of p < 0.05). The analysis was performed using Graphpad Prism software, version 5.0.
In the table are expressed the mean values of BMI and WC after patients have been separated into groups: PE (total), PE + DM, PE + SAH, PE + DM + SAH and PE without comorbidities (pure). There was a significant difference in mean BMI when the groups were compared (PE + DM vs PE without comorbidities, p = 0.038; PE + SH vs PE without comorbidities, p = 0.027, and PE + DM + SAH vs PE without comorbidities, p = 0.012). Regarding the waist circumference values, it was only significant difference when the PE group + DM + SAH was compared with PE group without comorbidity (p = 0.007).
It can be concluded that the more comorbidities are associated with PE, more changes are observed in anthropometric parameters. It means that a multidisciplinary team monitoring the anthropometric data of these patients is essential to an early observation of comorbidities development that compromises the health status of patients with PE.