Aspirin and calcium could help avert pre-eclampsia, study says

Women can reduce the chances of pre-eclampsia developing by taking low doses of aspirin before 16 weeks, and also calcium supplements after 20 weeks, according to a study.

It is also possible to assess a woman’s risk of developing pre-eclampsia from as early as 11 weeks of pregnancy, say the authors.

Pre-eclampsia affects as many as one in 20 pregnancies and accounts for more than 50,000 maternal deaths worldwide every year.

It is characterised by a combination of raised blood pressure and protein in the urine, and can lead to complications including stroke and eclampsia – life-threatening seizures – as well as multiple-organ failure, foetal growth restriction, death of unborn infants and pre-term labour.

The research examined pre-eclampsia in the first and second trimesters and prevention using low-dose aspirin and calcium supplementation.

Taking low levels of aspirin before 16 weeks was found to have a significant effect in the prevention of pre-eclampsia, as was taking calcium supplements in 
women who are calcium-deficient.

Assessing women at 11 weeks to ascertain whether they were at risk of developing the condition was done through blood-pressure monitoring.

While treatment is currently reserved for at-risk pregnancies, in the future management could be tailored around preventative treatment based on the results of first trimester screening, the report authors said.

But more research would be needed to see if these therapies could be beneficial in low-risk populations.

Fionnuala Mone, clinical fellow at University College Dublin’s school of medicine and medical science, who co-authored the review, said: “Use of low-dose aspirin and calcium supplementation in at-risk populations can reduce the risk of developing pre-eclampsia, a serious condition which can lead to complications for both the mother and her baby.

“It is important to see if low-risk women can benefit from preventative treatments and screening through future research.”

Jason Waugh, editor-in-chief of The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, which published the study, said: “First trimester testing is a potential tool for clinicians to screen and then subsequently offer prophylaxis to prevent pre-eclampsia.”