Pregnancy Heartburn medicines increase the child's asthma risk

Take care when taking medicines during pregnancy
The use of medication is often not without problems in pregnancy and can lead to adverse effects on the offspring. Researchers now found that pregnant women should not take any heartburn medication. This intake leads to an increased likelihood that their children will develop asthma.

A team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Tampere in Finland found in their study that taking medicines for heartburn during pregnancy promotes the development of childhood asthma. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology".

Especially in pregnancy expectant mothers often suffer from heartburn. Doctors often advise to take medication. But new research has shown that taking these medicines in pregnancy can increase the risk of childhood asthma. (Image: AntonioDiaz / fotolia.com)

Review of studies led to new findings
So far, the use of anti-heartburn medication in pregnancy has been considered safe because these medicines are said to not affect the development of the baby. However, a new review of earlier studies has now revealed the opposite. Ingestion of such drugs can lead to asthma in newborns, the authors say in their study.

During pregnancy, mothers often suffer from heartburn
Surely most people have had heartburn at least once in their lives. The resulting burning sensation is caused by gastric acid, which enters the esophagus. Especially in pregnancy, this condition often occurs, say the scientists. The reason for this are hormonal changes and pressure on the stomach due to the growing fetus.

Heartburn medications increase children's asthma risk by a third
Researchers reviewed a total of eight previous studies that analyzed health records for more than 1.3 million children. The physicians found that children of mothers taking heartburn medications during pregnancy had at least a one-third higher risk of developing asthma.

Advice for pregnant women with heartburn will not change for the time being
However, the researchers also stated in their study that advising expectant mothers about heartburn medications will not change on the basis of the new findings. First, further studies are needed.

Medic: Study found only one association
Professor Aziz Sheikh from the University of Edinburgh said the study found an association between childhood asthma and the use of so-called acid-suppressing drugs in mothers during pregnancy. However, it is important to emphasize that these results do not clearly prove that the drugs caused asthma in the children. For this reason, further research is needed to better understand this connection, adds the author.

Further research on this topic is required
It is still unclear whether heartburn medications themselves lead to the development of childhood asthma, or whether there is a common factor not yet discovered, the researchers explain. It needs at least one further investigation on this topic. Asthma is spread worldwide, in the UK alone, it affects more than 5.4 million people, say the experts. (As)