Background: Preeclampsia history signals a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, but its value as a risk marker relies primarily on self-report. To identify the accuracy of maternal self-reports of recent preeclampsia, we conducted a validation study among women recruited to a web-based trial. Methods: Women with preeclampsia in the past 5 years were recruited to Heart Health 4 Moms. Preeclampsia was self-reported through an online recruitment questionnaire and affirmed via phone screen. Accuracy of maternal self-report was quantified using positive predictive value (PPV) versus medical record evidence of preeclampsia using three definitions: (1) documentation of clinician diagnosis, (2) American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2002 diagnostic criteria (gestational hypertension and proteinuria), and (3) ACOG 2013 diagnostic criteria (gestational hypertension and proteinuria or systemic symptoms). Results: Complete medical records were received for 290 women who delivered from 2011 to 2016 and were predominantly non-Hispanic White (81.7%) with a mean age of 31.2 ± 4.8 years. Mean length of recall was 13.6 ± 14.7 months. The majority of women (92.1%) had medical record evidence of preeclampsia using ≥1 of the definitions. Maternal self-report of preeclampsia was validated for 88.3% based on clinician diagnosis, 59.0% with ACOG 2002, and 65.2% with ACOG 2013. Conclusions: In this validation study of U.S. women, the majority accurately self-reported their preeclampsia diagnosis based on medical record review. A higher proportion of self-reports validated by clinician diagnosis than ACOG criteria, suggesting women remember the diagnosis given by their provider and providers may not always follow or document criteria when making a diagnosis.
Keywords: maternal recall; preeclampsia; validation study.