Low dose aspirin may help to prevent pre-eclampsia during pregnancy

Antiplatelet drugs for prevention of pre-eclampsia and its consequences: systematic review

A study in this week's BMJ shows that antiplatelet drugs, largely low dose aspirin, have small to moderate benefits when used for prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications during pregnancy.

Duley and colleagues reviewed 39 trials, involving over 30,000 women at risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Their findings suggest that antiplatelet drugs are associated a moderate (15%) reduction in the risk of pre-eclampsia, a 14% reduction in the risk of stillbirth or neonatal death, and an 8% reduction in the risk of preterm birth.

As the reductions in risk are moderate, relatively large numbers of women will need to be treated to prevent the death of one baby, explain the authors. However, from a public health perspective, even these moderate benefits may be worthwhile. Data from individual women need to be reviewed to identify which women are most likely to benefit, when treatment should be started, and at what dose, they conclude.

Contact:

Lelia Duley, Obstetric Epidemiologist, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford, UK Email: lelia.duley@ndm.ox.ac.uk