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To summarize the
meta-analysis, preeclampsia was reduced by about half. Increases in blood pressure, which
probably isn't preeclampsia, was reduced too. In all the studies I have listed here, if
you look at the average blood pressure, it went down in the women who took calcium. One of
the consequent concerns I had was whether it is possible that we're just lowering blood
pressure and thus reducing diagnosis or are we having an impact. The conclusion of the
meta-analysis is here: that it was inexpensive, it didn’t have any risk, and so you can
justify the administration of calcium to even the low risk cohort. Now this "neglible
risk" statement is a really loaded statement to make in pregnancy trials. I think
people said the same thing about many years ago when it was “just” estrogen they were
giving women and yet twenty years later we recognize there were bad effects. This sort of
chicken soup medicine, where you give it because it might help, just doesn't work in
pregnancy. You need a better rationale than "it seems like it doesn't hurt." |