Nutritional Status in Preeclamptic Women: a Case-Control Study in South East of Iran

Background and Objectives: Beyond the influence of anthropometric, demographic and race, nutrition is considered as one of the most important risk factors for development of preeclampsia (PE). The issue has grown controversial in light of recent reports. This paper, purposes to compare the nutritional and demographic status between PE women and normal pregnancy in south east of Iran. Materials and Methods: Sixty three normal pregnant and 62 PE women were recruited to be referred to obstetrics and gynecology department of Imam-Ali Hospital, Zahedan, Iran. PE was diagnosed by using international guidelines by the expert gynecologist. Dietary intake, assessed by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and anthropometric measurement and medical history were collected by trained gynecologist and dietitians during the second trimester. The logistic regression model was used to assess the correlation between dietary intake and PE risk. Results: Pregnant PE women compared with normal pregnant women had higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), cesarean delivery and low birth weight babies. There was an association between grain intake and PE risk (OR= 2.00; 95% CI=1.11-3.61). No association was found between other dietary intakes and PE risk. Conclusions: Our findings support the association between grain intake and the risk of PE. Further prospective studies are needed to illustrate the link between dietary intake and PE status.