The treatment of liver disorders during pregnancy is ineffective, according to a study

Washington DC: A recent study has shown that the currently recommended treatment for a common pregnancy-related liver disorder that can lead to premature birth and stillbirth is ineffective and needs to be reconsidered.

In an article published in the journal "The Lancet", it was found that 605 pregnant women with intrahepatic pregnancy cholestasis (PIC) had been recruited with half to receive ursodeoxycholic acid ( called "urso"), the drug currently used to treat the disease. and half a placebo. The researchers collected blood tests and samples, measured the level of itchiness of women, and recorded information on their birth.

The authors found that urso had no impact on pregnancy, including prematurity, admission to the neonatal unit and stillbirth. They also learned that it showed no significant improvement in itching in most women, nor did it reduce the woman's bile acid levels.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a liver disorder affecting approximately 5,500 pregnancies each year in the United Kingdom. This condition causes the formation of bile acids in the blood and the symptoms include itching, often severe. An increase in bile acid is badociated with an increased risk of stillbirth, prematurity, and admission to the neonatal unit. Until now, urso has not been tested in any large-scale clinical trial to show if it prevents premature births and stillbirths.

"We want to find a safe and effective treatment for women with pregnancy cholestasis to prevent stillbirths in this condition.This test showed that the widely used drug, ursodeoxycholic acid, was not the It is essential that we share these results with pregnant women and clinicians to avoid unnecessary medications during pregnancy, and we must now focus on finding an effective treatment, "said Professor Lucy Chappell , the main author of the study.

"The trial clearly shows that for most women, it is not the right medicine. While the outcome may be extremely disappointing for women, it is also essential that they not be falsely rebadured. What we urgently need is a drug that can reduce both the itching and the risk of stillbirth badociated with the disease, and ICP Support will continue to work with the researchers in their fight to do it, "said Jenny Chambers, research badociate at the study.

Scientists are now looking to identify other potential treatments for women with IBD. A clinical trial on the drugs will begin in early 2020 with rifampicin, an antibiotic that is also an effective treatment against itching outside pregnancy and improves the elimination of bile acids from the bloodstream.

"It is now clear that urso should not be used routinely to treat all women with IBD, and our future research will be to find out if there is a subset of women who may still benefit from this drug. improve outcomes for mothers and babies with IPC pregnancies, "added the study's co-investigator, Professor Catherine Williamson.