EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF VITAMIN C AND E IN PREVENTING PRE-ECLAMPSIA IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN: A RANDOMIZEDCONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Objective: Preeclampsia is a common cause of neonatal and maternal death, prevalent in 2% to 7% of all pregnancies.Our study aimed to investigate the possible benefits of administering vitamin E and C supplements to high-risk pregnant women to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

Methods: This is a double-arm randomized controlled trial multi-center study.The study enrolled two groups: one comprising 294 primigravida women at 18-22 weeks of gestation with uterine artery Doppler screening, we had identified 42 women at a high risk of preeclampsia. the other group included 25 pregnant women who had previously experienced preeclampsia, eclampsia, or HELLP syndrome during their previous pregnancies. The final cohort was 50 pregnant women, we assigned them randomly to receive vitamin C and E or a placebo. They were monitored during their pregnancies with uterine artery Doppler results and the levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-2).

Results: PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in women who developed preeclampsia compared to normotensive women (167 ± 71.2 vs. 113.8 ± 35.6, P = 0.03). While PAI-2 levels showed significantly lower results in women with preeclampsia compared to normotensive women (105 ± 34.9 vs. 181.1 ± 67.9, P = 0.018). The prevalence of preeclampsia was 8% (2 women) in the intervention group compared to 24% (6 women) in the control group which wasn’t different statistically (P = 0.123). The study also observed no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the occurrence of gestational hypertension (20% vs. 14%, respectively; P = 0.713). there was no significant difference in the blood pressure values between the two groups in women who developed preeclampsia and those with gestational hypertension.

Conclusion: We didn’t get significant findings to support the use of vitamin C and E supplementation in reducing preeclampsia incidence in high-risk pregnant women, Larger multicenter trials would help to investigate the potential benefits or limitations of antioxidants in preventing preeclampsia.