Acid-blockers in pregnancy up kids’ asthma risk

Children whose mothers took stomach acid-blocking medication during pregnancy have increased odds of developing asthma, a Boston team announced here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

The findings were presented by Dr. Elizabeth H. Yen of Children’s Hospital, Boston. Her group analyzed data from three national Swedish healthcare registries to examine acid-blocker use by pregnant women in relation to rates of asthma in their children.

Maternal intake of acid-blocking medication was associated with a 51 percent increased likelihood of asthma in children.

“This was seen with asthma only,” Yen explained. There was no increase in the odds of other allergic diseases, such as eczema, food allergies, or hay fever.

It made no difference which of type of acid-reducing medication women took, Yen said, or when they took it during pregnancy, or if they had a history of allergies.

“This provides the first evidence of a novel potential risk factor for the development of allergic diseases in children,” she concluded.

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