Comparative Study on Preeclampsia and Postpartum Preeclampsia in Urban vs. Rural Iraq

As a background to this topic, preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Iraq. Significant differences in mortality rates have been found between urban and rural areas. The current study aimed to identify the negative effects of preeclampsia by comparing postpartum outcomes between women in urban and rural areas. This study relied on a cross-sectional study of 170 Iraqi women diagnosed with preeclampsia. The study was divided into two groups: 100 urban women and 70 rural women. Initial data, including history of hypertension, marital status, pregnancy complications, and birth outcomes, were obtained through interviews, in addition to a review of medical records. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to assess risk factors in this study. The following results were found: According to the tables in the results, rural women showed a significantly higher prevalence of preeclampsia (60.0% vs. 34.0%, p=0.001), delivery (31.4% vs. 16.0%, p=0.02), and postpartum period (31.4% vs. 16.0%, p=0.02). (30.0% vs. 15.0%, p=0.02) In addition, comorbid hypertension rates were greater in rural women, including pre-pregnancy (25.7% vs. 10.0%, p=0.009) and gestational hypertension (50.0% vs. 22.0%, p<0.001). Based on these results, this study concludes that it is necessary to target improving antenatal care planning and health education in rural areas to alleviate the pain and complications that occur.