Obstetric predictors of hypertension: A cross-sectional study of women attending the postnatal clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive disease in pregnancy (HDP) accounts for high mother and child morbi-mortality and predict future cardiometabolic diseases. This study aimed to identify obstetric predictors of HDP needing preventive action to reduce its consequences; when women present to antenatal clinic (ANC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive this was an Interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire-based study of the anthropometric, and blood pressure measurementsin attendees at the postnatal clinic (PNC) of Jos University with ANC records. SETTING: Six weeks postnatal clinic (PNC) of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). RESULTS: The following indices proved predictive of HDP and subsequent hypertension: weight (P = 0.009), hip circumference (P = 0.018), parity (P = 0.043), waist circumference (P = 0.00), abdominal height (P = 0.040), waist/height (P = 0.020), history of developing hypertension in previous pregnancy (P = 0.000), birth weight of baby (P = 0.02), and mode of delivery (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: To initiate preventive action on ANC registration in mitigating effects of or outrightly preventing HDP, careful check on anthropometry as well as history of hypertension or operative/preterm delivery in a previous pregnancy is necessary