The effect of aspirin on preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction and preterm delivery among healthy pregnancies with a history of preeclampsia

Background: Due to the significance of preeclampsia (PE) and its adverse outcomes in the health of both mother and newborn, the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of aspirin on preventing the occurrence of PE, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and preterm delivery in women with a previous history of PE. Methods: The present clinical trial was conducted on 90 pregnant women with a previous history of PE referred to the Khalij Fars Hospital in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province Iran from April 2017 to August 2018. The subjects of the study were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention and control to receive either 80 mg of aspirin or placebo daily during the pregnancy. Patients' information was obtained and recorded upon entering the study, follow-up visits, and childbirth. Results: Among participants who entered the clinical trial, 86 patients (95.6%) completed the study. During the pregnancy, systolic blood pressure increased by 8.25 +/- 14.83 and 19.06 +/- 18.33 mmHg in aspirin and placebo groups, respectively (p= 0.001). Also, the same happened with diastolic blood pressure (6.12 +/- 11.46 vs 13.48 +/- 13.95 mmHg,p= 0.010). The rate of PE was equal to 27 (62.8%) and 38 (88.4%) in the aspirin and placebo groups, respectively (aOR = 0.23,p= 0.013). In the aspirin group, the rate of IUGR was equal to 27.9% compared with 25.6% of newborns in the control group (aOR = 1.18,p= 0.750). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the rate of preterm delivery between the two groups (p= 0.061). Conclusion: The findings of the present study conducted exclusively on women with previous documented PE revealed that taking aspirin may have a preventive effect on PE in the current pregnancy.