Analysis of pulmonary function in high-risk pregnancies: A case-control study

Objective: To evaluate the pulmonary function in high-risk pregnant women. Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study on 60 pregnant women, of whom 30 were high-risk and 30 were low-risk cases, with gestational age 28 weeks. For the high-risk group, preeclampsia and/or gestational diabetes were the conditions taken into consideration. To evaluate pulmonary function, the following parameters were assessed: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), Tiffeneau index (FVC/FEV1) and forced expiratory flow (FEF25-75%). Fisher's exact test or the chi-square test was used to analyze the variables. Results: There were no statistical differences in the pulmonary function parameters according to gestational age (p>0.05). Similarly, there were no statistical differences in the pulmonary function tests for the variables of smoking habit, birth weight, Apgar index, duration of gestation, childbirth type and need for the newborn to go to the intensive care unit (p>0.05). For the pregnant women with preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, only FEF25-75% presented statistical significance (p=0.01 and 0.034, respectively). Conclusion: In high-risk pregnant women, pulmonary function suffered alterations characterized by limitations regarding airflow through the airways, although without repercussions on gestational outcome.