Prevalence of Preeclampsia and Eclampsia in Iran: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Preeclampsia is a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. A previous systematic review was carried out in Iran in 2014. Due to the importance of this issue, a current evaluation is necessary after ten years. This research was performed to determine the prevalence of preeclampsia and eclampsia in Iran.

Adhering to the PRISMA guideline, we searched English databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Persian databases including SID, Magiran, and IranMedex on August 20, 2023, to identify studies reporting the prevalence of preeclampsia or eclampsia in Iran. Employing a focused term strategy and eligibility criteria, we ultimately included 55 studies in this review. After conducting a thorough evaluation, the CMAV3 software was utilized to analyze the data using the random effects model and calculate pooled results.

The overall prevalence of preeclampsia among Iranian mothers was 5.3%, while eclampsia accounted for 0.1% of live births. Notably, preeclampsia rates have risen since 2015, whereas eclampsia rates have declined over time. Single-variable meta-regression results indicated a negative correlation between age and preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is increasing among Iranian mothers, requiring an investigation into its risk factors, including maternal age, and consequently, high-risk pregnancies. Conversely, the decreasing occurrence of eclampsia indicates an enhancement in the quality of care following a preeclampsia diagnosis.