Aspirin ‘lowers’ pre-eclampsia risk

Taking aspirin or other antiplatelet drugs during pregnancy lowers the risk of a condition which affects the health of a mother and her unborn baby, a new study says.

Researchers from the UK and Australia studied the effect of these drugs on pre-eclampsia, a problem characterised by high blood pressure and which potentially leads to maternal and infant illness or death.

The scientists analysed more than 32,000 women and their babies as part of the Perinatal Antiplatelet Review of International Studies.

They found that the risks of developing pre-eclampsia, of delivering before 34 weeks and of having a pregnancy with a severe outcome all fell by ten per cent in women taking the antiplatelet drugs.

They also discovered that aspirin had no significant effect on the risk of death of the foetus or the baby. It did not encourage having a small-for-gestational-age infant or bleeding in either the mother or the baby.

Although the cause of pre-eclampsia remains unclear, scientists believe that it is in part due to problems with blood flow and clotting. Aspirin is thought to redress hormonal imbalances in the blood caused by these problems.

Publishing their results in the Lancet medical journal today, the study’s authors said: “Our data show that antiplatelet agents produce moderate but consistent reductions in pre-eclampsia and its consequences?This information should be discussed with women at risk of pre-eclampsia to help them make informed choices about their antenatal care.”

In an accompanying comment in the Lancet, Professor James Roberts of Magee-Women’s Research Institute and Dr Janet Catov of the University of Pittsburgh warned that potential risks of aspirin use must be considered before mothers decide to embark on treatment with it as long-term use has been linked to stomach problems.