The Therapeutic Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Patients with Recurrent Miscarriage and the Risk Assessment of its Ocular Retinal Toxicity

Ai Zhang, Xianhe Zheng, Xiaoli Zhu, Jing Zheng

Abstract


Background: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) refers to the unfortunate loss of pregnancy at least three times before the 20th week of gestation. The present study examined hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)'s therapeutic effects in recurrent miscarriage owing to potential positive outcomes like increased rate of live births and negative outcomes like ocular and retinal toxicity.

Methods: The investigation involved the randomization of 400 mg of HCQ intervention in 91 pregnant women attending a monthly clinic at the Wenzhou TCM Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University.

Results: According to the results, HCQ results in positive pregnancy outcomes, with improving rates of live births with continued use of the medication. At the same time, the results produced significant safety issues, including HCQ deposition in the retina and ocular toxicity. An investigation of HCQ's effects on the retinal nerve fiber layer measurements, ganglion cell layer measurements, and the inner plexiform layer measurements revealed a dynamic trend.

Conclusion: We did not obtain conclusive outcomes regarding HCQ's effects on the changes in retinal measurements. However, the deposition of HCQ in the retina and the resulting vision loss, especially loss of color vision, stood out. These outcomes represent the safety and therapeutic effects of HCQ in pregnancy, posing concerns and creating the need for further studies. Interestingly, none of these outcomes were related to or dependent on the participants' age.

Keywords: HCQ; Recurrent miscarriage; Ocular retinal toxicity; Effects; Live births; Still birth 


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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.62940/als.v11i1.2717

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