Gestational hypertension as a factor associated with chronic kidney disease: the importance of obstetric history of women undergoing hemodialysis

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy-related complications may impact women’s reproductive cycle and health through their lives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric history of women undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in a specialized health facility with four hemodialysis units. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and personal history, obstetric and perinatal results of women with pregnancies before hemodialysis were evaluated. Prevalence, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: We included 208 (87.76%) women. Hypertension was the main cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (128 women). Rates of adverse perinatal outcomes, including prematurity, low birth weight, miscarriage, fetal death, and neonatal death, were 19.3%, 14.5%, 25.5%, 12.1%, and 5.3%, respectively. Hypertensive syndromes during pregnancy occurred in 37.0% of women, with 12.5% reporting preeclampsia and 1.4% reporting eclampsia. Up to 1 year after birth, 45.2% of women reported hypertension. Hemodialysis due to hypertension was associated with a history of hypertension during pregnancy (OR 2.33, CI 1.27 – 4.24), gestational hypertension (2.41, CI 3.30 – 4.45), and hypertension up to one year after birth (OR 1.98, CI 1.11 – 3.51). Logistic regression showed that gestational hypertension was independently associated with CKD due to hypertension (aOR 2.76, CI 1.45 – 5.24). CONCLUSION: Women undergoing hemodialysis due to hypertension were more likely to have gestational hypertension or hypertension up to one year after birth. To delay end-stage renal disease, it is necessary to identify women at risk of kidney failure according to their reproductive history.