Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Committee Chair

Trey Boyd

Abstract

Introduction: Pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. The purpose of this clinical review is to analyze the efficacy of aspirin vs placebo in the prevention of pre- eclampsia in high-risk pregnant women.

Methods: PubMed, COCHRANE, and JAMA Network were searched with terms “pre- eclampsia” AND “prevention” AND “aspirin." Operators and filters were added to find RCTs, reviews, and meta-analyses within the last five years. One article was found using article reference searching. Four articles were chosen for review.

Results: One article was a randomized controlled trial comparing low dose aspirin against placebo in women identified as high risk for developing pre-term pre-eclampsia. The other three articles were systematic reviews and meta-analyses reviewing the evidence produced by large trials that compared the efficacy of aspirin vs placebo in the prevention of subgroups of pre- eclampsia. The subgroups were term vs pre-term pre-eclampsia and mild vs severe pre- eclampsia.

Conclusion: The articles reviewed produced mixed results. The administration of low dose aspirin(50-150mg) in high-risk women to prevent pre-eclampsia appears safe. The official recommendation of low dose aspirin administration for women at high risk of developing pre- eclampsia whether term or pre-term, remains in effect.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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