Indications for admission in a high-risk pregnancy unit in Greece: Comparison between native and migrant women. A single-center experience

Introduction: Migrant pregnant women may require antenatal hospitalization due to complications of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to investigate the indications for admission, the baseline and the obstetric characteristics of migrant women hospitalized in a high-risk pregnancy unit (HRPU) and compare them with the native-Greek individuals. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted during the period 2005-2019. All pregnant women at ≥ 24 gestational weeks admitted in a University hospital HRPU were eligible for the study. Epidemiological characteristics, along with the indications for admission were studied and comparisons of several parameters between native-Greek and migrant pregnant women were conducted. Results: Overall, 3,823 women were included in the study, of which 838 (21.9%) were migrant women. The main indication for hospital admission was threatened preterm labor (38.0%). When we compared the two groups in terms of indications for admission, we found that maternal indications were more common in migrants than Greek pregnant women (32.8% vs 26.8%; p=0.001; OR:1.332; 95% CI:1.129-1.571). Compared to native women, migrants were younger (28.7±6.1 vs 30.9±6.4 years, p<0.001), more often multiparous (p<0.001; OR:3.883 95% CI:3.307-4.561), reported more often spontaneous conception (p<0.001; OR:0.425 95% CI:0.271-0.667) and were more likely to smoke during pregnancy (p=0.043; OR:1.209 95% CI:1.006-1.452). Conclusions: During the study period, threatened preterm labor followed by maternal complications were the most common indications for hospitalization. Migrant women were admitted to the HRPU more often than Greek ones for maternal complications. Finally, migrant status was associated with the method of conception, parity and smoking.