Prevalence and Characteristics of Early vs. Late-Onset Preeclampsia: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

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Preeclampsia is the most frequent medical complication of pregnancy and a leading contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. However, there is a lack of data on the outcomes of pre-eclamptic women, making the current study necessary. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and compare the clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia among pregnant women. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted for 6 months at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sughra Shafi Medical Complex, Narowal. It involved 95 pregnant women. Patients were selected using non-probability and consecutive sampling. Women at ≥20 weeks of gestation and diagnosed with preeclampsia were categorized as early onset (≤34 weeks) and late onset (>34 weeks) of preeclampsia, and their outcomes were compared based on age, parity, BMI and history of GDM and pre-existing hypertension. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Results: The mean age of the patients was 26.2 ± 5.3 years, the mean gestational age was 34.4 ± 2.4 weeks, and the mean BMI was 26.9 ± 3.5 kg/m². There were 29 (30.5%) primiparas and 66 (69.5%) multiparas. Obesity was observed in 24 (25.3%) women, while 16 (16.8%) had pre-existing hypertension, and 23 (24.2%) had GDM. Early-onset preeclampsia was found in 27 (28.4%) women, while 68 (71.6%) had late-onset preeclampsia. Conclusions: It was concluded that a considerable proportion of women had early-onset preeclampsia. Both early and late onset preeclampsia warrant routine screening in pregnant women to allow timely identification and management, which may improve feto-maternal outcomes.