Effect of Indoor Air Pollution from Biomass and Solid fuel Combustion on Symptoms of Preeclampsia/Eclampsia in Indian Women

Available evidence concerning the association between indoor air pollution (IAP) from biomass and solid fuel combustion and preeclampsia/eclampsia is not available or limited in developing countries. We investigated the association between exposure to IAP from biomass and solid fuel combustion and symptoms of preeclampsia/eclampsia in Indian women by analyzing cross-sectional data from India’s third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3, 2005-06).  Self-reported symptoms of preeclampsia/eclampsia during pregnancy was obtained from 39,657 women aged 15-49 years who had had a live birth in the previous five years. Effects of exposure to cooking smoke, ascertained by type of fuel used for cooking on preeclampsia/eclampsia risk were estimated using logistic regression after adjusting for various confounders.   Results indicate that women living in households using biomass fuels have two times higher likelihood of preeclampsia/eclampsia symptoms than do those living in households using cleaner fuels (OR=2.21;95%:1.26–3.87;p=0.006), even after controlling for the effects of a number of potentially confounding factors. We observed increased risk of preeclampsia/eclampsia with exposure to IAP from biomass and solid fuel combustion in a large nationally representative sample of Indian women. These findings have important program and policy implications for countries such as India, where large proportions of the population rely on polluting biomass fuels for cooking and space heating.