External validation of a model for periconceptional prediction of recurrent early-onset preeclampsia

Objective: To validate a previously published prediction model for recurrent early-onset preeclampsia (PE). Methods: We included 229 pregnant women with a history of early-onset PE and computed their risk using the prediction model, compared the predicted risk to their pregnancy outcomes and assessed performance of the model. Results: Early-onset PE recurred in 6.6% of participants. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 59% (95% CI: 45-73). The model created groups that were only moderately different in terms of their risk. Conclusions: The model's discriminate ability was poor and predictive performance insufficient to classify women into relevant risk groups.