Effects of Anthropometric and Parity Factors on Blood Pressure (BP) Pattern of Third Trimester Pregnant Women in Sokoto, North-West, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the blood pressure (BP) patterns, anthropometric and parity factors that can affect the BP pattern among third trimester normal, singleton pregnant women in Sokoto. A total of 129 subjects were recruited for the study including 88 pregnant women and 41 non-pregnant, age matched controls. The age ranges were 18-40 years and 19-40 years and the mean ages were 27.0+6.0 years and 28.1+6.8 years for the pregnant and non-pregnant groups, respectively (p=0.580). Majority (82%) of the pregnant women unlike the non-pregnant group, (44%) were parous. Most subjects of both groups fell in the BMI range 18.5-24.9 Kg/m2 (normal); 37.5% and 53.7% for the pregnant and non-pregnant groups, respectively. The mean BP of the pregnant women was 109.1 ± 10.4/67.8 ± 8.0mmHg and the non-pregnant controls was 113.8 ± 11.7/71.7 ± 9.5 mmHg. Also the mean BP of the various categories of BMI and the mean for the parous and nulliparous sub-groups for both pregnant and non-pregnant controls were recorded separately and their means compared for statistical significance. Blood pressures in normal singleton third trimester pregnant women tend to fall as the pregnancy age advances, especially the systolic BP. But BP tends to increase as the BMI increases from underweight, normal weight, through over weight to obesity in both pregnant and non-pregnant groups. Also BP values appear to be higher among the parous sub-groups in both pregnant and non-pregnant groups.