Waist to Hip Circumference Ratio as a Significant Predictor of Preeclampsia, Irrespective of Overall Adiposity

Objective: To investigate whether abnormal body fat distribution is a significant predictor of the development of preeclampsia, irrespective of overall adiposity. Methods:Twenty-six women with preeclampsia and 198 control women were enrolled. Waist to hip circumference ratio (WHR), body weight (BW), and body mass index (BMI, wt/ ht2) were measured early in pregnancy (< 9 weeks of gestational age). Age, height, parity, tobacco usage, education period, gestational duration, and weight gain during pregnancy were also recorded for each subject. Results:WHR, BMI, and BW early in pregnancy were significantly higher in the preeclampsia group (p < 0.0001). WHR, BMI, and BW positively correlated with the development of preeclampsia on univariate regression analysis (Standardized regression coefficient = 0.410, 0.387, and 0.363, respectively, p < 0.0001). On stepwise multiple regression analysis, WHR still correlated with the development of preeclampsia irrespective of BMI and BW. When the WHR predictive of the development of preeclampsia was set at 0.9, the sensitivity was 46.2% (12/26), which was significantly better than that of 25 of BMI (19.2%, 5/26; p < 0.05). Conclusion:Higher WHR is a significant predictor of the development of preeclampsia. This relation is irrespective of overall adiposity.