ABSTRACT
Background: Aspirin at 150 mg daily, initiated in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, prevents preterm pre-eclampsia. We aimed to estimate whether a dose of 75 to 81 mg daily can help to prevent preterm pre-eclampsia as well. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using multiple databases and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared aspirin initiated in the first trimester of pregnancy to placebo or no treatment, following the PRISMA guidelines and the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: We retrieved 11 RCTs involving 13,981 participants. Five RCTs had a low risk of bias, one at unclear risk, and fiver had a high risk of bias. A pooled analysis demonstrated that doses of 75 to 81 mg of aspirin, compared to a placebo or no treatment, was not associated with a significant reduction in preterm pre-eclampsia (8 studies; 12,391 participants; relative risk, 0.66; 95% confidence interval: 0.27 to 1.62; p = 0.36), but there was a significant heterogeneity across the studies (I2 = 61%, p = 0.02). Conclusion: It cannot be concluded that taking 75 to 81 mg of aspirin daily reduces the risk of preterm pre-eclampsia. However, given the significant heterogeneity between the studies, the true effect that such a dose of aspirin would have on pregnancy outcomes could not be properly estimated.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 has been associated with preterm birth (PTB) and placental-mediated complications, including fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia (PE). This study aimed to estimate the impact of COVID-19 and vaccination on adverse pregnancy outcomes and markers of placental function. METHODS: We performed a study on a prospective cohort of women recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy during the early COVID-19 pandemic period (December 2020 to December 2021). At each trimester of pregnancy, the assessment included a questionnaire on COVID-19 and vaccination status; serological tests for COVID-19 (for asymptomatic infection); measurement of placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) in maternal blood; measurement of mean uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI); and pregnancy outcomes (PTB, PE, birth weight below the fifth and the tenth percentile). RESULTS: Among 788 patients with complete data, we observed 101 (13%) cases of symptomatic infection and 74 (9%) cases of asymptomatic infection with SARS-CoV-2. Most cases (73%) of infection were among women with previous vaccination or COVID-19 infection before pregnancy. COVID-19 infection was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, abnormal fetal growth, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio, or mean UtA-PI. Vaccination during pregnancy did not influence these outcomes either. We observed no case of severe COVID-19 infection requiring respiratory support. CONCLUSION: Mild symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 during pregnancy did not influence the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and the markers of placental function in predominantly vaccinated women. Fetal growth monitoring is unlikely to be mandatory in women with mild symptoms of COVID-19.
