Objective: This study was undertaken to validate a self-administered questionnaire in verifying the diagnosis of preeclampsia, eclampsia, or toxemia in a group of women with a greater than 20-year history of preeclampsia.
Study design: Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 144 women who received a diagnosis of any of these 3 conditions and 158 women who had normotensive pregnancies at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, from 1960-1979.
Results: A previous diagnosis of preeclampsia, eclampsia, or toxemia was verified with 80% sensitivity and 96% specificity.
Conclusion: Our validated questionnaire may be a useful research tool in identifying women with a previous history of preeclampsia. Women with a history of preeclampsia had a higher prevalence of future hypertension than those with a history of normotensive pregnancy.