Corticoterapia na Síndrome HELLP: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is considered a public health problem, constituting one of the main causes of maternal mortality. HELLP Syndrome is an acronym for the triad hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count, which may appear as a more severe form of preeclampsia, with great potential to cause maternal and fetal complications. Main objective: To verify the evidence in the literature about the effectiveness of corticosteroids used in the expectant management of HELLP Syndrome. Methodology: The study is a systematic review of the literature in which the MEDLINE / Pubmed, Scielo and LILACS databases were used. There were included original studies published between 1998 and 2018. Results: In the MEDLINE/Pubmed database, 211 articles were identified that, after reading titles and abstracts, 28 studies remained; of these, 17 were included in the review. In the LILACS database, 6 articles were identified, whereas in the Scielo database only 1 article was identified; after reading the titles and abstracts, no articles from LILACS and Scielo databases were included in the review. The studies were described according to the author's name, study population and number of participants, type of study, intervention and main outcomes analyzed. Conclusion: The effectiveness of corticosteroids in the management of patients with HELLP syndrome remains controversial. A higher rate of increase in platelet counts appears to be the result with more scientific evidence, and a decrease in the inflammatory response appears to be the main effect of corticosteroids.