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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1434416
This article is part of the Research Topic Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology View all 10 articles

Effect of calcium supplementation in prevention of preeclampsia: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Provisionally accepted
Henok Kumsa Henok Kumsa 1*Esuyawkal Mislu Esuyawkal Mislu 1Mulugeta Arage Mulugeta Arage 1Biruk Beletew Abate Biruk Beletew Abate 2Moges Beriye Moges Beriye 1Nigus Yimer Nigus Yimer 1
  • 1 Department of Midwifery, College of Health Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia
  • 2 Department of Nursing, College of Health Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.Calcium supplementation has been suggested as a potential intervention to reduce the risk of preeclampsia. This umbrella review aims to summarize the effect of calcium supplementation in prevention of preeclampsia, based on existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases such as MEDLINE, Web of Science, SCOPUS and Cochrane Library was conducted from inception to December 30, 2023. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the revised version of assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTER 2) tool. A random effects model was performed to estimate the effect of calcium supplementation on preeclampsia. Heterogeneity between the included studies and publication bias were assessed using I 2 statistic and Egger's test, respectively.Results: Calcium supplementation reduced the risk of preeclampsia by 47% (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.68) with a considerable level of heterogeneity (I 2 = 84.39%). Our subgroup analyses revealed that the risk of preeclampsia was significantly lower in high-risk pregnancies with calcium supplementation (RR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.26, 0.47), indicating a 65% reduction compared to low-risk women, who experienced a 33% reduction in risk (RR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.59, 0.77). Furthermore, its effect was pronounced in women from developing countries compared to women resides in developed countries.This umbrella review provides a summary of evidence supporting the use of calcium supplementation for the reduction of preeclampsia. Incorporating calcium supplementation as part of antenatal care interventions may help reduce the burden of preeclampsia and improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Further trial studies are needed to explore the impact of baseline calcium levels, optimal dosage, timing and route of supplementation in order to effectively decrease the incidence.

    Keywords: Preeclampsia, Calcium supplementation, Umbrella review, Systematic review, metaanalysis

    Received: 17 May 2024; Accepted: 28 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Kumsa, Mislu, Arage, Abate, Beriye and Yimer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Henok Kumsa, Department of Midwifery, College of Health Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.