Prevention of preeclampsia with calcium supplementation and its relation with the L-arginine:nitric oxide pathway

P. López-Jaramillo

Research output: Articles / NotesArticle in a non-specialized journalpeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) remains a common cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. During the past 7 years, some progress has been made in the prevention of PIH. Specifically, clinical studies have shown that supplementation with calcium can significantly reduce the frequency of PIH, especially in populations with a low calcium intake. We have suggested that, in such a population, calcium supplementation is a safe and effective measure for reducing the incidence of PIH. Calcium supplementation reduces the risk of PIH by maintaining the serum ionized calcium level which is crucial for the production of endothelial nitric oxide, the increased generation of which maintains the vasodilatation that is characteristic of normal pregnancy. In PIH there is an impaired nitric oxide synthesis and cyclic GMP production.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)731-741
Number of pages11
JournalBrazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
Volume29
Issue number6
StatePublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • calcium
  • calcium supplementation
  • nitric oxide
  • preeclampsia
  • pregnancy-induced hypertension

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