ACTS: Australasian Collaborative Trial of Supplements with vitamin C and vitamin E for the prevention of pre-eclampsia – a randomised controlled trial

This trial has completed recruitment. Follow up of the children until 18 months of age is continuing.

Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy are major contributors to maternal and perinatal death and morbidity. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia and antioxidants have been suggested as preventative therapy for pre-eclampsia. There has been limited controlled evaluation of antioxidant therapy in pregnancy with only two randomised trials in women either with or at high risk of pre-eclampsia. There have been calls for large, well-designed randomised controlled trials in low risk women to determine the efficacy of antioxidant therapy in pregnancy. This study of antioxidants vitamin C and E given to nulliparous women from mid pregnancy determines the efficacy of supplementation in reducing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome for women and their infants. Vitamin C and E supplementation was not found to reduce the maternal and perinatal morbidity associated with pre-eclampsia.

References

Rumbold AR, Crowther CA, Haslam RR, Dekker GA, Robinson JS for the ACTS Study Group. Vitamins C and E and the risks of preeclampsia and perinatal complications. New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 354: 1796-1806. (Article)

Jeyabalan A, Caritis SN. Antioxidants and the prevention of preeclampsia--unresolved issues. N Engl J Med. 2006 Apr 27;354(17):1841-3. (Editorial)

Crowther C. A., Rumbold A. R., Robinson J., the ACTS Study Group. Vitamins C and E and the Prevention of Preeclampsia N Engl J Med 2006; 355:1065-1066. Correspondence (Letter)

Rumbold A, Maats HE, Crowther CA. Dietary intake of vitamin C and vitamin E and the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Eur J Obstet and Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2005;119:67-71. (IF 1.273)

Rumbold A, Crowther CA. Vitamin E supplementation in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 2.

Rumbold A, Crowther CA. Vitamin C supplementation in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 1.

Rumbold A, Duley L, Crowther C, Haslam R. Antioxidants for preventing pre-eclampsia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 4.

Rumbold A, Middleton P, Crowther CA. Vitamin supplementation for preventing miscarriage. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 2.

Rumbold A, Middleton P, Crowther CA. Vitamin supplementation for preventing miscarriage. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 2.