Thrombophilia doesn't affect preeclampsia rate in later pregnancies.(News)

PRAGUE -- Women who have preeclampsia in their first pregnancy are less likely to experience it in subsequent pregnancies even if thrombophilia develops, Dr. Birgit Arabin reported at the 20th European Congress of Perinatal Medicine.

The concept of screening for thrombophilia in pregnant women with preeclampsia has been controversial, especially in light of the fact that a systematic review (Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 2002;101:6-14) and a metaanalysis (Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2003;2:CD003580) have not recommend screening until it is shown that interventions such as heparin and/or low-dose aspirin are effective in improving outcomes, said Dr. Arabin of the Clara Angela Foundation, Witten, Germany.

To determine if thrombophilia had any impact on the rate of preeclampsia in women who have more than one pregnancy, Dr. Arabin and her colleagues examined 426 Dutch women who had preeclampsia during their first pregnancy in 1995-2005. Among the 163 (38%) women who had thrombophilia during their first pregnancy, the 40% rate of preeclampsia occurring before 32 weeks (109 women) was similar to the 35% rate of preeclampsia occurring after 32 weeks (54 women).

At least one subsequent pregnancy occurred in 252 of the 426 women with preeclampsia. Of those 252, 96 had at least one episode of thrombophilia and were treated with the low-molecular-weight heparin dalteparin (Fragmin) and low-dose aspirin; the remaining 156 without ...