Late Onset Preeclampsia is not an Innocuous Condition

Objective: To describe the profile and outcome of late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE). Methods. Retrospective study of 264 singleton pregnancies presenting before delivery at two referral centres in South Africa. Results: Primigravid patients constituted 56.8% of the group, while 57.6% were graded as severe. Median gestational age at diagnosis was 37 (34-43) weeks. 30.7% of patients experienced >= 1 major maternal complication including 34 (12.9%) cases of eclampsia. There were no maternal or early neonatal deaths. Five intrauterine deaths occurred, all due to placental abruption. The perinatal mortality rate was 18.9 per thousand births. Conclusions: Late-onset preeclampsia often presents as severe disease.