Time Course of Recovery and Complications of HELLP Syndrome with Two Different Treatments: Heparin or Dexamethasone

HELLP syndrome is a severe complication of pregnancy characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, hepatic dysfunction and thrombocytopenia. Though delivery is the ultimate therapeutic option, medical treatments, including the use of heparin or corticosteroids, have been employed in the attemp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Thrombosis research 2001-04, Vol.102 (2), p.99-105
Main Authors: Mecacci, Federico, Carignani, Lucia, Cioni, Riccardo, Parretti, Elena, Mignosa, Marcella, Piccioli, Anna, Scarselli, Gianfranco, Mello, Giorgio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Blood Transfusion
Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system
Dexamethasone
Dexamethasone - administration & dosage
Dexamethasone - standards
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation - etiology
Female
HELLP syndrome
HELLP Syndrome - complications
HELLP Syndrome - drug therapy
Hematocrit
Heparin
Heparin - administration & dosage
Heparin - standards
Hospitalization
Humans
L-Lactate Dehydrogenase - blood
Medical sciences
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Platelet Count
Pregnancy
Retrospective Studies
Statistics, Nonparametric
Time Factors
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:HELLP syndrome is a severe complication of pregnancy characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, hepatic dysfunction and thrombocytopenia. Though delivery is the ultimate therapeutic option, medical treatments, including the use of heparin or corticosteroids, have been employed in the attempt to improve maternal prognosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the time course of recovery and the incidence of complications in women with HELLP syndrome receiving either heparin or dexamethasone. Between January 1990 and December 1998, 32 patients with HELLP syndrome were cared for at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Florence: 20 patients were treated with heparin, administered subcutaneously at a dose of 5000 IU every 12 h, whereas 12 women received dexamethasone, administered intravenously at a dose of 10 mg every 12 h. Categorical data were evaluated with chi-square and Fisher's exact test; continuous data were analyzed with Mann–Whitney U test; P
ISSN:0049-3848
1879-2472
DOI:10.1016/S0049-3848(01)00234-1