Statins may help to beat pre-eclampsia
STATINS could prevent a deadly complication in pregnancy that affects 50,000 women a year, say researchers.
They have discovered that the cholesterol-lowering pills substantially reduce the harm caused by pre-eclampsia in a small group of women at very high risk of the condition.
However, the results were so impressive that the academics believe the pills could also benefit tens of thousands of women outside this group who are at risk of preeclampsia for different reasons.
It is a condition caused by high blood pressure that occurs in about 8 per cent of pregnancies, around 56,000 in the UK a year.
It can lead to serious complications which are fatal for mother and baby, including seizures, strokes or premature births. Women are most at risk if they are over 40, overweight, expecting twins or have a family history of the condition.
Researchers from King’s College London studied the benefits of statins in a small group of women with a rare auto-immune disorder, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) which affects 500,000 women in the UK. It causes their bodies to attack their own cells, leading to blood clots, which makes them far more susceptible to pre-eclampsia.
Researchers prescribed 11 of the women with the drug pravastatin once a day as soon as they showed symptoms of pre-eclampsia, typically 20 weeks into the pregnancy. The remainder received the standard treatment, which includes blood thinning drugs and aspirin.
The findings published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation show that ten out of the 11 babies born to women taking statins were healthy, although one was premature and has long-term complications. Only five of the babies born to women not taking statins survived and three have problems affecting their digestion. Professor Girardi said the results were ‘impressive’ and suggested the pills could benefit women without APS. He added: ‘We found that a drug which has been widely used to prevent cardiovascular disease appears to help prevent pregnancy complications in women with antiphospholipid syndrome.
‘Pravastatin helped to increase blood flow through the placenta, keeping the baby growing and reducing the symptoms of pre-eclampsia in the mothers. The babies were born alive, healthy, close to full term and showed normal development.
‘The potential benefits of statin treatment for women who develop pre-eclampsia without APS are also worth investigating.’
Symptoms of pre-eclampsia include swelling of the feet, face and hands, a headache, vision problems and pain below the ribs.
Once diagnosed, women are usually treated with blood thinning drugs and closely monitored until the birth. Often they are induced early or given caesareans as the risk of complications is high.
Dr Jenny Myers, an expert in maternal and fetal health at the University of Manchester, said that the early findings had shown ‘great promise’ but added: ‘There is still concern regarding the long-term effects of these drugs on the baby so longer-term follow up studies are also extremely important.’