However, the diagnoses of gestational hypertension
and preeclampsia are also based on information provided
when the woman is admitted to the delivery
ward, when blood pressure and proteinuria are routinely
recorded. This would ensure complete case ascertainment,
regardless of symptoms during the pregnancy.
In future investigations, it would be of interest
to study subgroups in the non-Nordic-born population
as well as second generation immigrants.
In conclusion, the risk factor patterns for preeclampsia
and gestational hypertension, evaluated within this
single population-based cohort, appear to be similar
and differ primarily in the magnitude of the associations,
which tend to be stronger for preeclampsia.
These findings, in line with previous investigations (7,
8), may indicate common pathways in the biologic
mechanisms underlying the two conditions, and the
findings also suggest that weight control may be an
important and modifiable factor in the prevention of
gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.