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Aspirin 'cuts risk' of pregnancy problem
Thursday May 17 14:04 AEST
Regularly popping aspirin during pregnancy lowers the risk of a potentially fatal condition that affects mothers-to-be and their babies, Australian researchers say.
The pain reliever and other anti-clotting drugs were found to cut the chance developing pre-eclampsia, which causes abnormally high blood pressure and other problems during the second half of pregnancy.
But pregnancy experts warn that aspirin treatment should be considered on a case-by-case basis and not recommended for all.
Pre-eclampsia is present in six per cent of first-time pregnancies and poses serious risks to both mother and baby, including poor growth, premature birth and death.
A study of more than 32,000 births by Australian and UK researchers found that the risks of pre-eclampsia fell by 10 per cent in those women taking aspirin or other anti-platelet drugs.
The risk of giving birth before 34 weeks or having a pregnancy with a "severe adverse outcome" fell by the same amount, according to research published in The Lancet journal.
Aspirin was found to have no significant effect on the risk of the foetus or baby dying, having an under-sized baby, or bleeding problems for either mother or child.
Lead researcher Dr Lisa Askie, from the University of Sydney, said it was not known what caused pre-eclampsia but it was believed to be sparked by complications in the mother's arteries in early pregnancy which lead to irregular blood flow and clotting in the placenta.
Aspirin appeared to prevent the condition by smoothing an imbalance in hormones that control blood flow.
"Our data shows that anti-platelet agents produce moderate but consistent reductions in pre-eclampsia and its consequences," Dr Askie wrote in the journal.
"This information should be discussed with women at risk of pre-eclampsia to help them make informed choices about their antenatal care."
But US experts commenting on the research say aspirin use would be best reserved for high-risk women who have had pre-eclampsia before, and not recommended for all.
"Is treating 50 women to prevent one case of pre-eclampsia or one pre-term birth worthwhile?" Professor James Roberts, a gynaecologist from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, wrote in the same journal.
"Although from a public health perspective, such a number to treat might seem effective, the decision is one that is probably best made individually in consultation with an informed mother."
©AAP 2007 |
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