Pravastatin in preeclampsia: A meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To review of the efficacy and safety of pravastatin use for prophylaxis and treatment of preeclampsia.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies evaluating pravastatin for treatment and/or prophylaxis of preeclampsia.

Data collection: Two independent reviewers systematically searched data from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, and clinicaltrials.gov databases, for studies evaluating pravastatin for prevention of pre-eclampsia.

Results: Fourteen studies were identified, including 1,570 pregnant women who received either pravastatin or placebo, published between 2003 and 2022. From these studies, 5 studies were identified for inclusion in the meta-analysis to evaluate the role of pravastatin use prior to 20 weeks of gestation, to prevent pre-eclampsia, Pravastatin treatment reduced the incidence of preeclampsia by 61% and premature birth by 45%. Among the newborns, there was a 45% reduction in intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in the treated group, as well as a 77% reduction in those receiving neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions.

Conclusion: Prophylactic treatment with pravastatin appears to reduce risk of developing pre-eclampsia as well as potentially lowering risk of IUGR, preterm birth, and NICU admission in neonates.

Keywords: intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR); meta-analysis; neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); pravastatin; preeclampsia; prevention; statin; systematic review.