Low-dose aspirin does not influence the clinical course of women with mild pregnancy-induced hypertension

Article Abstract:

When pregnant women develop mild elevations in blood pressure (mild hypertension) in the last trimester of pregnancy, they are often hospitalized, assigned to bedrest, and carefully monitored. Research indicates that, when taken before the onset of symptoms, low-dose aspirin is effective in preventing complications, such as preeclampsia (associated with hypertension, edema, headache, and other symptoms) and intrauterine growth retardation (of the fetus), in high-risk cases. Whether aspirin is also effective in preventing complications in women who already have developed pregnancy-induced hypertension is not known. This question was addressed by evaluating 47 women with mild pregnancy-induced hypertension (with systolic blood pressures between 140 and 165 and diastolic blood pressures between 90 and 110) who were between 30 and 36 weeks pregnant. Patients were randomly assigned to take either an aspirin or a placebo (inactive) pill daily. They underwent standard treatment in the high-risk unit of the hospital where the study was carried out; if discharged, the patient continued to take the medication. Results showed that approximately one-fourth of the women (six in each group) progressed to severe preeclampsia, with no group differences for the interval between the time of admission to the hospital and the time when physical deterioration began. In these cases, pregnancy was terminated. No advantages were found for the aspirin group in measures of fetal health, gestational age and weight of newborns, and rate of cesarean deliveries. The results indicate that low-dose aspirin is not an effective treatment for preventing complications of pregnancy when instituted after clinical signs of preeclampsia are already present. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Development and progression, Prognosis, Preeclampsia, Pregnancy, Complications of, Pregnancy complications

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The use of aspirin to prevent pregnancy-induced hypertension and lower the ratio of thromboxane A2 To prostacyclin in relatively high risk pregancies

Article Abstract:

The ability of aspirin to prevent pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and to alter prostaglandin (mediates many biochemical processes) metabolism was studied. A total of 791 women with various risk factors for preeclamptic toxemia were studied. (Preeclamptic toxemia is a condition, caused by the metabolic disturbances of late pregnancy, which results in high blood pressure, excess fluid between the cells, and protein in the urine). All the women were screened for a rise in blood pressure after rolling from the side to the back during the 28th or 29th week of pregnancy. Out of 69 women who experienced an increase in blood pressure in the rollover tests, 34 were treated with a daily dose of 100 milligrams of aspirin during the last three months of pregnancy. Twelve percent of the aspirin-treated women developed pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, compared with 36 percent of the untreated women. They also had a lower rate of preeclamptic toxemia: 3 percent versus 23 percent. The ratio of levels of thromboxane (constricts blood vessels, raising blood pressure) to prostacyclin (dilates blood vessels, lowering blood pressure) breakdown products (which indicate levels of prostacylin) after three weeks of treatment decreased by 35 percent in the aspirin-treated women but increased by 51 percent in the untreated women. No serious side effects occurred in the women or their newborns. It is concluded that low daily doses of aspirin taken during the last three months of pregnancy reduce the prevalence of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure.

Research, Measurement, Prostaglandins, Metabolic regulation, Prostacyclin

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Reduction of thromboxane A2 synthesis in pregnancy by polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements

Article Abstract:

Taking high doses of fish oil containing n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy may reduce the formation of thromboxane. Thromboxane induces blood vessel constriction and its increased production in some pregnant women is thought to contribute to high blood pressure. Of 23 healthy pregnant women, 16 began taking fish oil supplements containing n-3 fatty acids, and seven took nothing. Eleven women who took the supplements reported hiccups and unpleasant taste, and five had to stop the treatment because these side effects were so strong. Eleven women completed three weeks of treatment. Levels of thromboxane by-products, which reflect thromboxane production, dropped 32% to 71% after the fish oil treatment. There were no significant changes in the levels of thromboxane by-products among the seven women who did not take the fish oil supplements.

Physiological aspects, Omega-3 fatty acids, Omega 3 fatty acids, Fish oils

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