Body mass index and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

OBJECTIVES: We compared the incidence of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in obese women with women of a normal body mass index (BMI). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study in which BMI was calculated accurately early in pregnancy. Women were enrolled after a sonographic confirmation of an ongoing pregnancy. To reduce confounding variables the study was confined to white European women with a singleton pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. RESULTS: In 2230 women, 16.8% were obese. Pre-eclampsia was diagnosed in 3.3% (n=74) and gestational hypertension in 3.0% (n=67). Both pre-eclampsia (p=0.01) and gestational hypertension (p