Metformin Combined LMWH Intervention in 25 Pregnant Women with History of Hyperlipidemia Pancreatitis in Pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: To explore the early preventive treatment of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTGP) in pregnancy. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed to examine the drug intervention on recurrent HTGP and related pregnancy outcomes among women who had HTGP in their past pregnancy and developed hyperlipidemia during the second pregnancy. Participants were identified through inpatient case records under a single physician at the clinic and divided into two groups. The intervention group was given metformin lipid-lowering combined with low-molecular-weight heparin to prevent thrombosis when hypertriglyceridemia was developed during the pregnancy. In contrast, the non-intervention group includes those who did not receive active drug treatment until they developed recurrent HTGP. Metabolic markers were also examined by comparing them with their respective past pregnancies. Results: All participants experienced elevated triglycerides during their two consecutive pregnancies. No pregnant women developed HTGP in the intervention group (n=12), while 10 of 13 (76.9%) women developed HTGP in the non-intervention group. Thus, the outcome seemed to be markedly different. In the intervention group, 11 women were gestated to term, and one was premature; one of 12 (8.3%) births was neonatal asphyxia; there was no low-weight birth, and the prognosis of mother and baby was favorable. Of 10 women who developed recurrent HTGP in the non-intervention group, four suffered from fetal loss, four had premature, and two had full-term delivery; among the three pregnant women without HTGP, one had a premature and two had full-term births; five of thirteen (38.5%) births were neonatal asphyxia. Conclusion: Pregnant women with HTGP history, if not treated, are likely to develop the condition recurrently during pregnancy, but timely intervention on hypertriglyceridemia with lipid-lowering and thrombosis-preventing seemed complete to reduce the recurrent HTGP and improve the pregnancy outcomes.