Effect of Combined Vitamin C and E Supplementation for Preventing Preeclampsia and Some Outcomes of Pregnancy in Nulliparous Women

Hypertensive disorders complicating pregnancy are common and greatly contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of combination of vitamin C and vitamin E on incidence of preeclampsia and some outcomes of pregnancy in Nulliparous women. In this clinical trial study, 424 pregnant Nulliparous women were attended in hospitals and public or private clinics in Semnan city of Iran were investigated. All women were between 14-22 weeks gestation and 15-35 years old. They were randomly assigned to two groups. First group (case group) received vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU) with iron and folic acid and second group (control) only received iron and folic acid. Both groups followed for evaluation of preeclampsia and pregnancy outcomes (maternal and neonatal) until delivery. Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, Chi Square, Mann-Whitney tests and Relative Risk (RR). The p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age and body mass index (BMI) were not statistically different between two groups. There were no significant difference between incidence of preeclampsia (5.0% and 7.4%, respectively), small for gestational age (SGA) (6.9% and 9.4% respectively), preterm labor due to preeclampsia (3% and 2%, respectively) and severe preeclampsia (2%, 2.5% respectively) between case and control groups. But incidence of low birth weight (LBW) in case group was significantly less than control group (RR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.36-0.95; P=0.027). Combined vitamin C and E supplementation during pregnancy did not reduce the risk of preeclampsia and SGA in Nulliparous women, but it could reduce LBW.