“Preeclampsia is a condition unique to human pregnancy” and is now diagnosed (Guidelines of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) by an increase in blood pressure in a pregnant woman after the 20th week of pregnancy (usually – renal and hepatic problems can occur in the absence of proteinuria) or in the post-partum period associated with a high level of protein in the urine, or, the new development of thrombocytopenia, abnormalities in renal, hepatic and cerebral functions with pulmonary edema (HELLP syndrome).
Preeclampsia is diagnosed in 5-8% of all US births and its effect on the fetus/newborn include prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, fetal/infant acidosis and fetal death.
Updated evidence from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on the effectiveness of daily low-dose aspirin in preventing preeclampsia in women at increased risk (which evaluated 23 randomized clinical trials) indicates that aspirin use lowers the risk of preeclampsia preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and perinatal mortality without evident harm.
