Histopathological Aspects of Placental Lesions in Mild and Severe Pre-Eclampsia in a Population of Cameroonian Women

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) frequently leads to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes in our setting. The pathophysiology is strongly linked to placental development. We aimed to study placental lesions associated with PE in a population of Cameroonian women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study in three university teaching hospitals in Yaounde namely, the Yaounde Central Hospital, the pathology laboratory of the Yaounde University Hospital Centre, and the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital. The study spanned 8 months from January 1st to September 1st, 2021. Placental analysis was carried out as per standard protocol. The study included 101 parturients with pre-eclampsia. These were divided into two groups, with groups 1 and 2 being made of patients with mild pre-eclampsia (n = 40), and severe pre-eclampsia (n = 61), respectively. Results: The mean ages of the two groups were 29.93 ± 7.36 versus 28.28 ± 7.18 (p = 0.267) for patients with mild and severe pre-eclampsia respectively. Low socioeconomic status was the most frequently identified risk factor in both groups (59%). Patients’ history revealed that the women with severe pre-eclampsia tended to have poor pregnancy follow-up compared to those with mild pre-eclampsia (p < 0.05). Also, the placentas of patients with severe pre-eclampsia weighed significantly less than those of patients with mild pre-eclampsia (454.4 ± 122 vs. 511.7 ± 125;p < 0.05). Pre-eclampsia-related lesions were significantly greater in patients with severe disease (p Conclusion: PE-related placental lesions in our context are multiple and diverse especially in severe disease, and these arise as a result of defective maternal vascular perfusion.

Association between Placental Malaria and Severe Pre-Eclampsia in Two University Hospitals of Yaounde City

Context: Pre-eclampsia and placental malaria, are two diseases that share pathophysiological similarities, such as placental ischemia, endothelial dysfunction and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the association between placental malaria lesions and severe pre-eclampsia. Methodology: We conducted a prospective analytical cross-sectional study in two University Hospitals in the city of Yaounde (Yaounde Central Hospital and the Gynaecological Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital), and in the laboratory of the Centre Pasteur in Yaounde over an eight-month period (1st January 2021 – 1st September 2021). All patients with pre-eclampsia diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension (ISSHP) and free of chronic metabolic or infectious pathology were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (mild pre-eclampsia) and group 2: severe pre-eclampsia. Socio-demographic, clinical and histopathological characteristics specific to pre-eclampsia and placental malaria were investigated. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23.0 software, Chi 2 was used to compare categorical variables, Student t-test was used to compare means, and logistic regression was used to assess the association between placental malaria lesions and PES. Results: The mean age of our study population was 29.93 ± 7.36 years versus 28.28 ± 7.18 years in patients with mild and severe pre-eclampsia respectively. Pre-eclampsia placental lesions (accelerated villous maturation, infarction) were significantly greater in patients with severe pre-eclampsia (p Conclusion: Placental malaria lesions were significantly associated with severe pre-eclampsia and increased the risk of developing severe pre-eclampsia placental lesions by a factor of 10.