FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ABRUPTIO PLACENTAE IN PRETERM DELIVERIES

Objective. To evaluate risk factors associated with occurrence of abru ptio placentae in preterm deliveries. Methods. Risk factors were evalu ated in 55 consecutive index cases of abruptio placentae and 726 contr ol patients delivered between 24-36 weeks' gestation. Results. In logi stic regression analysis abruptio placentae was associated with a low number of antenatal visits, smoking in pregnancy, hypertension, intrav enous drug abuse and a history of recent abdominal trauma. Among hyper tensive disorders of pregnancy, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic h ypertension was associated with the highest risk of premature placenta l separation. Finally, there was a significant trend relating duration of premature rupture of membranes with abruptio placentae (chi-square for trend = 3.93, p = 0.047).