Low-dose aspirin in the prevention of pre-eclampsia in China (APPEC study): protocol for a multicentre randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Low-dose aspirin (LDA) has been proposed as a safe and inexpensive prophylactic agent. Studies in European/Western populations have shown promising results indicating that LDA can reduce the occurrence of pre-eclampsia (PE) in women with identifiable risk factors. However, few controlled trials, particularly large randomized controlled trials, have been performed in Asian populations. The aim of this project is to evaluate the effect of LDA for PE prevention on high-risk pregnant women in China, where PE is highly prevalent and the LDA supply status is commonly suboptimal. METHODS/DESIGN: An open-label, multicentre randomized controlled trial is being conducted at 13 tertiary hospitals in 11 provinces in China. A total of 1000 eligible women with high-risk factors for developing PE according to their medical histories are being randomized into two groups: a control group (n = 500) and an intervention group (n = 500). Women with high-risk factors, such as a history of PE, chronic hypertension, type 1 or 2 diabetes, advanced maternal age, obesity, family history of PE or nulliparity are eligible. The control group is advised to undergo routine examinations, whereas the intervention group undergoes the routine examinations and receives LDA. LDA (100 mg/d) should be prescribed at night, initiating from early pregnancy (12–20 weeks of gestation) and lasting until 34 weeks of gestation. Demographic data and clinical endpoint outcomes, as well as biological samples (e.g., maternal blood, cord blood, amniotic fluid and placental samples), will be collected. The primary outcome is the occurrence of PE, and the secondary outcomes include maternal and neonatal outcomes and maternal biomarker levels. DISCUSSION: This is the first and largest multicentre randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of LDA in preventing PE in a Chinese population. The results will potentially influence the prenatal care recommendations in China regarding intervention with LDA for PE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02797249. Registered on 7 June 2016. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-2970-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.