The Effect of High Dose Folic Acid

throughout Pregnancy on
Homocyctein (Hcy) Concentration
and Pre-Eclamsia : A Randomized
Control Trial
 Abstract

Pre-eclamsia
is a pregnancy-related multi-systemic
hypertensive disorder
A Randomized Control Trial (RCT)
at Alzahra Teaching Hospital, Tabriz University
of Medical Sciences
April 2008 March 2013
Methods
460 nuliparous group 1 and 2
Group 1 : 0,5 mg folic acid
Group 2 : 5 mg folic acid
They were followed until delivery
Result
Homocystein group 1 > 2
Systolic and diastolic BP group 1 = 2
Birth weight group 1 < 2
Early abortion group 1 > 2
 Introduction
One of main goal of prenatal care is control hypertension
disorders and preeclamsi .
Preeclamsia is one of the unsolved puzzles in medicine with
high prevalence and maternal mortality, especially in low- and
middle- income countries.
One of the main hypotheses associated with the cause of pre-
eclampsia is placental insufficiency and its vascular discrepancy,
which is caused by increasing levels of homocysteine (Hcy).
Decreasing folate levels lead to increase Hcy concentration.
 Supplementation of 4 mg of folic acid throughout pregnancy is
considered a new prevention strategy for pre-eclampsia.

Daily supplementation with 4 mg of folic acid starting in early

pregnancy (8 to 16 weeks of gestation) until delivery has been
effective in preventing pre-eclampsia.

According to the results of various studies on early onset pre-

eclampsia and hyperhomocysteinemia, the rationale for this
study was to investigate the benefits of high doses of folic acid
supplementation compared to low doses on the level of Hcy and
for the prevention of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.