Epidemiological trends and determinants of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a 10-year retrospective study

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) have a prevalence between 3% and 10% of all pregnancies and are a very frequent cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Our study aimed to investigate the epidemiological patterns, geographic distribution, and clinical characteristics associated with HDP over a 10-year period (2015-2024). We conducted a retrospective study using clinical data from the health records system of "Queen Geraldine" Obstetrics & Gynecology University Hospital, Tirana. The data we selected from the system include delivery numbers, HDP cases, maternal age groups, cesarean section (CS) rates, and average length of stay (ALOS) for mothers and newborns. We performed descriptive and analytical statistics, like Chi-square for trend, analysis of variance/Kruskal-Wallis, correlation analysis, etc. There was a total of 62,155 deliveries recorded for this 10-year period. The HDP incidence rates ranged from 1.27% to the highest rate of 37%, which occurred in 2016. As per geographical distribution, the Tirana urban area showed significantly higher HDP prevalence compared to rural and other regions (p=0.018). The majority of cases belong to the 25-34-year-old age group. There was a significant association between the HDP with increased CS rates (r=0.78, p=0.008) and prolonged ALOS for both mother (r=0.64) and newborn (r=0.59). HDP is a growing burden, especially among urban women aged 25 to 34 years. There must be a better improvement on the current preventive measures. Effective prevention and treatment are still crucial to streamline screening strategies and equal access to health care.