Association Between Maternal Risk Factors and Low-Dose Aspirin Use with Preeclampsia Among High-Risk Pregnant Women

Abstract

Preeclampsia remains a significant hypertensive disorder contributing to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly among women with high-risk factors such as previous preeclampsia, intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), preterm labor, low-birth-weight infants, and a family history of hypertension. This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the association between these maternal risk factors and the efficacy of low-dose aspirin (75–150 mg daily) in preventing preeclampsia among 123 high-risk pregnant women at Massa Hospital in El-Bayda, Libya. Utilizing a case-control design (41 cases, 82 controls) and Chi-square analysis, the results demonstrated that maternal risk factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of preeclampsia (p < 0.05), with notable prevalence in cases of previous preeclampsia (48.8% vs. 12.2%) and family history of hypertension (43.9% vs. 17.1%). Crucially, the administration of low-dose aspirin between 12 and 28 weeks of gestation was found to reduce the incidence of preeclampsia by 40% (24.4% in users vs. 75.6% in non-users, p = 0.01) without major complications. The study concludes that low-dose aspirin is an effective and safe prophylactic measure; therefore, early identification of risk factors and adherence to aspirin therapy are essential strategies for improving maternal and neonatal outcomes within the Libyan population.