DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2026.v14i09.007

Pages: 1170-1175

Background: Preeclampsia is a major cause of adverse perinatal outcomes and the early- and late-onset phenotypes of the disease are associated with differing degrees of fetal and neonatal risk. This study aimed to compare adverse perinatal outcomes between women with early-onset preeclampsia (EOP) and late-onset preeclampsia (LOP) and against normotensive pregnancies, at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A case control study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, over six months (March to August 2019). One hundred women with preeclampsia (50 EOP, 50 LOP) and 50 normotensive controls were enrolled consecutively. Perinatal outcomes, including intrauterine death (IUD), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), low birth weight (LBW), neonatal mortality, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, preterm delivery and mode of delivery, were recorded. Data were analysed using SPSS with chi-square/Fisher exact tests and multivariable logistic regression; p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: IUGR was significantly more frequent in EOP than LOP (32.0% vs 8.0%, p=0.005), as was preterm delivery before 37 weeks (70.0% vs 38.0%, p=0.002); caesarean delivery was significantly more frequent in LOP than EOP (90.0% vs 64.0%, p=0.004). Compared with controls, EOP was significantly associated with IUD, IUGR, LBW, NICU admission and preterm delivery (all p<0.05). On multivariable analysis, IUGR (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.80), LBW (aOR 7.70), NICU admission (aOR 4.24) and IUD (aOR 1.90) remained independently associated with adverse perinatal outcome. Conclusion: Early-onset preeclampsia carries a substantially higher burden of adverse perinatal outcomes, particularly IUGR, low birth weight and NICU admission, than late-onset disease, supporting closer fetal surveillance and neonatal preparedness for pregnancies complicated by early-onset disease.