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Familial Risk of Placental Abruption
  • +4
  • Susan Dalton,
  • Huong Meeks,
  • Alison Fraser,
  • Devin Etcitty,
  • Tsegaselassie Workalemahu,
  • Michael Varner,
  • Robert Silver (USA)
Susan Dalton
The University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Corresponding Author:susan.dalton@hsc.utah.edu

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Huong Meeks
The University of Utah Department of Pediatrics
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Alison Fraser
University of Utah Health Huntsman Cancer Institute
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Devin Etcitty
University of Utah Health Huntsman Cancer Institute
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Tsegaselassie Workalemahu
The University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Michael Varner
The University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Robert Silver (USA)
The University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Abstract

Objective: This study aims to estimate the familial risk of placental abruption using a large population database. Design: Retrospective familial aggregation study of placental abruption utilizing a case-control design. Population: The Utah Population Database is a genealogic database of over 11 million individuals, which contains medical and demographic information linked to official records dating back to the 1900s. Methods: Cases of placental abruption and controls were ascertained from birth certificates, death certificates, and inpatient medical records. Controls were matched 3:1 to cases based on age, parity, and number of relatives in the database. Familial risk of placental abruption was estimated using generalized linear mixed-effect regression and conditional logistic regression. Main outcome measures: Unadjusted and adjusted odds of placental abruption between first-, second-, and third-degree relatives. Results: Of 1,168,378 pregnancies analyzed in the Utah Population Database, 32,823 cases (2.8%) of placental abruption were identified. First-degree relatives inherit an adjusted odds of placental abruption estimated at 1.18 (95% CI: 1.12 – 1.23) when a family member has had at least one placental abruption, and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.17 – 1.63) with two or more placental abruptions. The estimated effect is lower for second- and third-degree relatives. After controlling for clinical risk factors, individuals inherit an adjusted odds of placental abruption estimated at 1.16 (95% CI: 1.03 – 1.31, p=0.014) with a first-degree family history of placental abruption. The estimates for second- and third-degree relatives using this method are not statistically significant. Conclusion: These findings represent an argument for the inheritance of genetic factors which predispose the occurrence of placental abruption.