Diabetes treatment ‘could prevent and treat preeclampsia’

A drug commonly used to treat diabetes could help to prevent or treat preeclampsia, a new study has found.

Research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that metformin decreases the production of two toxins that are elevated in preeclampsia, while it also helps to heal blood vessels that have been injured.

Scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center therefore believe clinical trials should be carried out to see whether the drug offers a viable treatment for the condition, which affects up to eight per cent of pregnant women.

Dr Roberto Romero, editor-in-chief for obstetrics of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, commented: "Metformin appears to be the aspirin of the 21st century, because the drug has been discovered to have unexpected health benefits not only in diabetes, but also in polycystic ovarian disease and recent work has highlighted its anti-cancer properties."

He added that systematic reviews of previous randomised clinical trials involving metformin being administered to pregnant women must be carried out urgently, along with brand new tests.