Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31715077›Full record

Trial reportBJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology2020

Pravastatin for early-onset pre-eclampsia: a randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

A Ahmed, D J Williams, V Cheed, L J Middleton, S Ahmad, K Wang, A T Vince, P Hewett, K Spencer, K S Khan and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
55citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
14.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

55 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Trial
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  7. Pravastatin for early-onset pre-eclampsia: a randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2020
    Trial
  8. Transforming Preeclampsia Care: Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutic Innovations.Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN · 2026
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Preeclampsia trials that changed practice.Seminars in perinatology · 2026
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. ISUOG Consensus Statement on maternal hemodynamic assessment in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and fetal growth restriction.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2025
    Article
  18. Review
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  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.

A AhmedAston Medical Research Institute, Aston Medical School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8755-8546
D J WilliamsUCL EGA Institute for Women's Health, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
V CheedBirmingham Clinical Trials Unit, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6713-0913
L J MiddletonBirmingham Clinical Trials Unit, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
S AhmadAston Medical Research Institute, Aston Medical School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
K WangAston Medical Research Institute, Aston Medical School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
A T VinceBirmingham Clinical Trials Unit, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
P HewettInstitute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
K SpencerBarking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Romford, UK.
K S KhanQueen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5084-7312
J P DanielsNottingham Clinical Trials Unit, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
StAmP trial Collaborative Group
Aston University · GBBirmingham Dental Hospital · GBBarking, Havering And Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust · GBQueen Mary University of London · GBUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBUniversity of Birmingham · GBUniversity of Nottingham · GB

Funding

Aston UniversityDepartment of Health RP-2014-05-019Medical Research Council G0701824National Health Services
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWomen with pre-eclampsia have elevated circulating levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1). Statins can reduce sFlt-1 from cultured cells and improve pregnancy outcome in animals with a pre-eclampsia-like syndrome. We investigated the effect of pravastatin on plasma sFlt-1 levels during pre-eclampsia.

designBlinded (clinician and participant), proof of principle, placebo-controlled trial.

settingFifteen UK maternity units. POPULATION: We used a minimisation algorithm to assign 62 women with early-onset pre-eclampsia (24 PRIMARY OUTCOME: Difference in mean plasma sFlt-1 levels over the first 3 days following randomisation.

resultsThe difference in the mean maternal plasma sFlt-1 levels over the first 3 days after randomisation between the pravastatin (n = 27) and placebo (n = 29) groups was 292 pg/ml (95% CI -1175 to 592; P = 0.5), and over days 1-14 was 48 pg/ml (95% CI -1009 to 913; P = 0.9). Women who received pravastatin had a similar length of pregnancy following randomisation compared with those who received placebo (hazard ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.50-1.40; P = 0.6). The median time from randomisation to childbirth was 9 days (interquartile range [IQR] 5-14 days) for the pravastatin group and 7 days (IQR 4-11 days) for the placebo group. There were three perinatal deaths in the placebo-treated group and no deaths or serious adverse events attributable to pravastatin.

conclusionsWe found no evidence that pravastatin lowered maternal plasma sFlt-1 levels once early-onset pre-eclampsia had developed. Pravastatin appears to have no adverse perinatal effects. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Pravastatin does not improve maternal plasma sFlt-1 or placental growth factor levels following a diagnosis of early preterm pre-eclampsia #clinicaltrial finds.

Indexed as

AdultDouble-Blind MethodFemaleGestational AgeHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsPravastatinPre-EclampsiaPregnancyVascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1FLT1 protein, humanHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsPravastatinVascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1Anti-angiogenic factordouble-blindperinatal mortalityplacebo-controlledpravastatinpre-eclampsiarandomised trialstatin

Identifiers

PMID31715077
PMCPMC7063986
OpenAlexW2987599923

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.