Table 1.

Patient characteristics

Characteristic	PE (n=11)	PC (n=25)	HC (n=14)	NPC (n=13)
Age, yr	32.5 (29.5–35.8)	31.0 (28.3–36.6)	41.8 (34.4–43.5)a	33.5 (24.6–40.0)
Gestational age, wk	35.7 (34.1–39.0)	33.4 (16.7–40.0)	NA	NA
Parity, mean (SD)	0.6 (1.0)	0.8 (1.0)	NA	NA
Proteinuria, g/24 h	0.36 (0.3–6.1)	NA	NA	NA
BP, mmHg
Systolic	160.0 (141.3–191.3)b	125.0 (113.5–137.5)	NA	NA
Diastolic	106.0 (87.5–120.0)c	90.0 (70.0–90.0)	NA	NA
Antihypertensive therapy, n (%)	4 (36)	NA	4 (100)d	NA
Comorbidities, n (%)
Sickle cell anemia	0 (0)	1 (4)	0 (0)	0 (0)
WPW syndrome	0 (0)	1 (4)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Asthma	0 (0)	2 (8)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Hyperhomocysteinemia	0 (0)	2 (8)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Hypertension	1 (9)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Epilepsy	1 (9)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Breast cancer	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (7)	0 (0)
Renal insufficiency	0 (0)	0 (0)	2 (14)	0 (0)
Depression	0 (0)	0 (0)	2 (14)	0 (0)
Obesity	0 (0)	0 (0)	3 (21)	1 (8)
Cause of death, n (%)
Preeclampsia related	11 (100)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Ectopic pregnancy	0 (0)	1 (4)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Thromboembolism	0 (0)	6 (24)	2 (14)	0 (0)
Amniotic fluid embolism	0 (0)	2 (8)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Arrhythmias	0 (0)	1 (4)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Cardiac arrest	0 (0)	1 (4)	2 (14)	0 (0)
Unknown	0 (0)	2 (8)	1 (7)	0 (0)
Malignancy	0 (0)	1 (4)	1 (7)	0 (0)
Aorta dissection	0 (0)	3 (12)	4 (29)	0 (0)
Infection	0 (0)	5 (20)	1 (7)	0 (0)
Cardiomyopathy	0 (0)	2 (8)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Pheochromocytoma	0 (0)	1 (4)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Cerebral bleeding	0 (0)	0 (0)	3 (21)	0 (0)
Suicide	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	5 (38)
High energy trauma	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	7 (54)
Drowning	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (8)
Death-autopsy interval, h	18.0 (6.0–32.3)	24.0 (20.5–24.0)	24.0 (12.0–48.0)	24.0 (24.0–60.0)

Data are given as the median (IQR) unless otherwise specified. PE, preeclampsia; PC, normotensive pregnant control; HC, hypertensive nonpregnant control; NPC, normotensive nonpregnant control; NA, not applicable; WPW, Wolff–Parkinson–White.

^aP=0.03.

^bP=0.001.

^cP=0.01.

^dData on hypertensive therapy of the hypertensive controls were available from four patients.