Trials & Triumphs: Clinical Research Chronicles
August 2025 Edition
Welcome Message
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the August 2025 edition of Trials and Triumph: Clinical Research Chronicles. Drawing from a recent happening, the feature topic in this month's discusses how misinformation can foster public mistrust in clinical research explored in the topic: Navigating Misinformation and Building Trust in Clinical Research.
The Research Highlight section features an article on the topic: Time of onset of pre-eclampsia as a determinant of risk of cardiovascular disease and renal impairment at six weeks post-partum: a cohort study in Lagos, Nigeria.
We are also requesting a call to researchers across the African continent to share available guidelines on Anaemia in Pregnancy and Postpartum in Africa within their countries to help drive one of our ongoing research on maternal anaemia management – CAPREMAN.
We hope you enjoy reading this.
Deputy Director – Clinical Trials
CCTRIS-UNILAG
Navigating Misinformation and Building Trust in Clinical Research
In our hyper-connected world, information, both true and false, spreads at an unprecedented pace. Recently, a rumor went viral on social media claiming that the Namibian Government had denied a renowned global non-profit organisation permission to conduct a clinical trial for a new contraceptive. The story, despite being completely unfounded, was amplified by countless shares and even picked up by otherwise respectable platforms. This incident underscores a persistent and critical challenge in global health research: public mistrust fueled by misinformation.
The Challenge of Misinformation
Clinical trials operate within a fragile ecosystem where trust is paramount. This trust can be undermined not only by genuine ethical lapses but also by false claims amplified through online platforms. In today's digital landscape, a single unverified social media post can shape public perception more powerfully than a meticulously crafted research report. For researchers and institutions, this presents a dual responsibility: to generate trustworthy scientific evidence and to proactively engage with the public in ways that are clear, open, and responsive.
The Role of Social Media
Social media is not the enemy; it is a tool. Used well, it can support transparency, connect researchers with communities, and quickly correct falsehoods. But when unverified claims go unchecked, the cost is confusion, mistrust, and in some cases, reluctance to participate in future beneficial studies. This makes it essential for the research community to invest in proactive communication, media partnerships, and capacity-building around science literacy.
Safeguarding Public Confidence
In an era where a single rumor can influence global perception, safeguarding public confidence is no longer optional, it is a central pillar of sustaining trust in science. The lesson is clear: scientific evidence must not only be generated but also actively defended in the public square where narratives are contested and shared.
🕵🏽♂️ How to Spot Health Misinformation Online
Trust in clinical research grows when we share facts, not rumours
Research Highlight
Time of onset of pre-eclampsia as a determinant of risk of cardiovascular disease and renal impairment at six weeks post-partum: a cohort study in Lagos, Nigeria
Pre-eclampsia, a serious blood pressure condition that can occur during pregnancy, has long been known to pose immediate risks to both mother and baby. However, the health effects for the mother may not end at delivery. A recent study published in BMJ Open sheds new light on the cardiovascular and renal risks women face in the weeks following a pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia.
Designed as prospective cohort study, 44 women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia were followed, with the women categorised based on when their pre-eclampsia started: "early-onset" (before 34 weeks of gestation) or "late-onset" (at or after 34 weeks). Follow-up was from diagnosis through delivery and up to six weeks postpartum. At the six-week mark, they assessed several key health markers, including blood pressure, glucose tolerance, cholesterol levels (lipid profile), and kidney function (serum creatinine).
The study revealed several important findings. Most notably, a large majority of the women did not return to normal blood pressure by their six-week postpartum check-up.
Key Findings:
- Persistent High Blood Pressure: A staggering 81.8% of the women still had either prehypertension (75.0%) or hypertension (6.8%) six weeks after delivery. Only a small fraction (18.2%) had become normotensive.
- Early-Onset vs. Late-Onset: While the severity of the disease was similar between the two groups during pregnancy, there was a key difference in their postpartum health. Women who had early-onset pre-eclampsia had significantly higher levels of serum triglycerides compared to those with late-onset pre-eclampsia.
- Kidney Function: On a positive note, none of the women in the study showed signs of impaired kidney function at the six-week follow-up.
Why Does It Matter?
This research underscores that the health risks associated with pre-eclampsia extend beyond pregnancy and delivery. The high prevalence of persistent hypertension at six weeks postpartum is a critical finding, suggesting that many women remain at an elevated risk for future cardiovascular disease. The authors highlight that the standard six-week postpartum check-up may not be sufficient for this high-risk group, highlighting a call for re-evaluation of postpartum care protocols, and suggesting a need for longer and more comprehensive follow-up to monitor and manage cardiovascular risk factors in women with a history of pre-eclampsia. This could lead to earlier interventions and ultimately help prevent long-term heart and vascular problems.
Read the full paper here: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e094397
Call for Guidelines on Anaemia in Pregnancy and Postpartum in Africa
Maternal anaemia continues to be a significant public health challenge. The Comprehensive Approach to the Prevention and Management of Maternal Anaemia in Nigeria (CAPREMAN) project is a research-driven initiative designed to tackle this burden by identifying gaps in care and working towards the development of a national guideline for screening, prevention, and management of maternal anaemia.
As part of this effort, we are mapping current practices across Nigerian health facilities and conducting a scoping review to compile existing guidelines from across Africa.
How You Can Help
Do you provide maternal health services in Africa? Do you currently use a guideline for the management of anaemia in pregnancy or postpartum? If yes, the CAPREMAN team invites you to kindly share these guidelines with us.
Kindly send to: capreman@mrhcollective.org
You can find out more about CAPREMAN on the CCTRIS website or on www.mrhcollective.ng
Did You Know?
Until the late 20th century, women of childbearing age were largely excluded from clinical trials. This was largely due to concerns about potential harm to fetuses and the complexities of hormonal cycles, which researchers feared could confound results. While well-intentioned, this practice created significant gaps in medical knowledge, leaving doctors with limited evidence on how medications and treatments affected women differently from men.