Aspirin as a prophylactic against pre-eclampsia
"In my opinion, aspirin is one of the most fascinating drugs in the field of medicine. It has such a diverse range of effects and these different effects have been gradually discovered over the years. It's really remarkable," says Helga Helgadóttir, lecturer at the UI Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, whose research has focused on how aspirin can prevent pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
Over the years, aspirin has been used to treat various ailments and diseases and remains the most used drug in the world, according to Helga. "It can be used as everything from a traditional painkiller and anti-inflammatory to a prophylactic against cardiovascular disease. Recently, we have started using it in high-risk pregnancies as a prophylactic against pre-eclampsia. Aspirin lowers blood pressure in pregnant women and reduces the likelihood of impaired foetal growth, gestational hypertension and early pre-eclampsia," says Helga.