Summary

We sought to examine the association between maternal erythrocyte omega-3, omega-6 and trans fatty acids and risk of preeclampsia. We conducted a case-control study of 170 women with proteinuric, pregnancy-induced hypertension and 185 normotensive pregnant women who delivered at Harare Maternity Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe. We measured erythrocyte omega-3, omega-6 and trans fatty acid as the percentage of total fatty acids using gas chromatography. After multivariate adjustment for confounding factors, women in the highest quartile group for total omega-3 fatty acids compared with women in the lowest quartile experienced a 14 % reduction in risk of preeclampsia (odds ratio 0.86, 95 % confidence interval 0.45 to 1.63). For total omega-6 fatty acids the odds ratio was 0.46 (95 % confidence interval 0.23 to 0.92), although there was suggestion of a slight increase in risk of preeclampsia associated with high levels of arachidonic acid. Among women in the highest quartile for arachidonic acid the odds ratio was 1.29 (95 % confidence interval 0.66 to 2.54). A strong statistically significant positive association of diunsaturated fatty acids with a trans double bond with risk of preeclampsia was observed. Women in the upper quartile of 9-cis 12-trans octadecanoic acid (C18:2n6ct) compared with those in the lowest quartile experienced a 3-fold higher risk of preeclampsia (odds ratio = 3.02