The optimal dosage of aspirin for preventing preeclampsia in high-risk pregnant women: A network meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and optimal dosage of aspirin in preventing preeclampsia in high-risk pregnant women. Traditional and network meta-analyses were conducted on data from 23 randomized controlled trials involving 10 547 pregnant women. The findings demonstrated that aspirin significantly reduced the incidence of preeclampsia (OR = 0.66, 95%CI [0.58, 0.75]), with the best preventive effect observed at a dosage of 80–100 mg/day (OR = 0.51, 95%CI [0.36, 0.72]). No significant differences were found in the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage (OR = 1.03, 95%CI [0.79, 1.33]), small for gestational age (OR = 0.83, 95%CI [0.50, 1.35]), placental abruption (OR = 0.96, 95%CI [0.53, 1.73]), and intrauterine growth restriction (OR = 0.63, 95%CI [0.45, 1.86]) between women taking aspirin and those taking placebos. Different doses of aspirin showed a reduction in preeclampsia incidence, but there was no significant difference in efficacy between the dosage groups. Side effects did not significantly differ between placebo and different aspirin dosage groups. SUCRA analysis suggested that 80–100 mg/day may be the optimal dosage, prioritizing both effectiveness and minimizing side effects. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the findings. However, improvements are needed in addressing issues like loss to follow-up, reporting bias, and publication bias. In conclusion, a dosage of 80–100 mg/day is recommended for preventing preeclampsia in high-risk pregnant women, although individual circumstances should be considered for optimizing the balance between effectiveness and safety.