Objective: To evaluate whether early administration of high-dose methylprednisolone limits the fall of platelets in preeclampsia.
Methods: A randomized trial of 180 mg methylprednisolone or placebo administered in divided doses over 36 hours was conducted in women admitted for preeclampsia and platelet counts below 150×10/L in four French academic centers. Patients were not included when platelet counts were below 50×10/L or when immediate delivery was required. The primary study outcome was the proportion of patients with platelet counts above 100×10/L 36 hours after the first dose of study medication. The total sample size needed to detect a 23% difference in the rate of this outcome between groups with a one-tailed α of 0.05 and 90% power was 94 patients.
Results: Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to receive methylprednisolone and 34 placebo between October 2007 and May 2011. Platelet counts above 100×10/L at 36 hours after the first dose of study medication were recorded in 30 (83%) in the active group and 29 (85%) in the placebo group (relative risk 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.80-1.20; P=.82). The only adverse potentially study-related event was hyperglycemia in one woman allocated to methylprednisolone.
Conclusion: In women with preeclampsia and platelet counts under 150×10/L, methylprednisolone was not effective in maintaining platelet counts above 100×10/L.
Clinical trial registration: EU Clinical Trials Register, http://clinicaltrialsregister.eu, EudraCT 2006-004881-15-FR.