[Oral low-dose magnesium gluconate preventing pregnancy induced hypertension]

Abstract

Objective: To study the effects of oral low-dose magnesium gluconate in prevention of pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and its mechanism.

Methods: A prospective randomized double-blind study was carried out in 51 pregnant women as treatment group (including 22 cases as treatment group 1 and 29 cases as treatment group 2) and 51 pregnant women as controls (including 28 cases as controls group 1 and 23 cases as control group 2). Low-dose magnesium gluconate (3 g/day) or placebo was given from the 28th week of gestation to delivery consecutively.

Results: 4% of the pregnant women developed PIH after magnesium gluconate treatment, which was substantially lower than that in the control group (16%) (P < 0.05). In the treatment group 2, women showed higher concentration of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (PGF1a) and 6-keto-/thromboxane B2(TXB2) (P/T) ratio than that of the control group 2. Moreover, TXB2 level was lower than that in the control group 2. In the treatment group 1 women showed higher ratio of P/T than that of the control group 1. There were no significant differences of serum magnesium concentration among all groups.

Conclusion: Low-dose magnesium gluconate may efficiently prevent PIH in high risk women. The mechanism of action of magnesium gluconate probably involves to keep the balance of PGI2 and TXA2, but not associates with serum magnesium level.