Low adherence to aspirin and calcium carbonate for preeclampsia prevention in pregnant women with chronic hypertension in a brazilian hospital.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate adherence to preeclampsia prophylaxis with aspirin and calcium carbonate among pregnant women with chronic hypertension attending a specialized hypertension in pregnancy center at a tertiary hospital in Brazil.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto. Adherence to aspirin and calcium carbonate was assessed using the Morisky-Green questionnaire. Additionally, we assessed the knowledge of these women regarding preeclampsia. A total of 101 pregnant women were interviewed, and 98 were included in the final analysis.

RESULTS

Non-adherence rates were 64.3% for aspirin and 59.2% for calcium carbonate. The overall incidence of preeclampsia was 22.4% with 11% requiring magnesium sulphate for blood pressure control. No significant differences in preeclampsia incidence were observed among adherent and non-adherent groups for either aspirin or calcium carbonate. Most participants demonstrated high (78.6%) or medium (18.4%) levels of knowledge about preeclampsia.

CONCLUSION

There was low adherence to aspirin and calcium carbonate prophylaxis among pregnant women with chronic hypertension, with no difference in preeclampsia prevention between adherent and non-adherent groups. These findings raise important questions about the effectiveness of aspirin in reducing preeclampsia risk in chronic hypertension. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the reasons for low adherence.