(August 20, 2008 - Insidermedicine) Women who experience preeclampsia during pregnancy are at increased risk for developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) later in life, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Factors that can be measured early in pregnancy to help predict the risk for preeclampsia include:

•       Booking diastolic blood pressure of 80 mmHg or more

•       Booking proteinuria (of >1+ on more than one occasion or quantified at >0.3 g/24 hr)

•       Multiple pregnancy

Researchers from Haukeland University Hospital in Norway linked data from the Medical Birth Registry and the Norwegian Renal Registry to analyze the association between preeclampsia and the later development of ESRD. The study population consisted of women who gave birth between 1967 and 1991.

Preeclampsia was associated with a relative risk of ESRD of between 3.2 and 15.5. The risk increased with number of pregnancies and number of episodes of preeclampsia. Having a low birth weight or preterm infant also increased the risk for ESRD. Results were not affected by controlling for possible confounders or excluding women with kidney disease, rheumatic disease, essential hypertension, or diabetes before pregnancy.

Today's research highlights the fact that preeclampsia is a clinical marker for increased risk of ESRD, although the absolute risk of ESRD among these women is low.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.