Interventions for heartburn in pregnancy

Dowswell T, Neilson JP

Published Online:

October 8, 2008

Heartburn affects more than two-thirds of women in late pregnancy. Usually it is not serious, but symptoms can be very distressing to pregnant women. There are many different interventions to relieve heartburn including advice on diet and lifestyle and a range of medicines (many of which are available over the counter without prescription). The review authors identified three randomised controlled trials including a total of 286 women focusing on three different heartburn medications. While the results of the individual trials were positive (women described some relief from symptoms), overall it was concluded that there is little information on the safety or effectiveness of drugs used to treat heartburn in pregnancy. More information is needed on this common and distressing condition.

Abstract (click to read)

Background:

Heartburn is a common symptom in pregnancy affecting up to 80% of women in the third trimester. The reasons for the increase in symptoms in pregnancy are not well understood, but the effects of pregnancy hormones on the lower oesophageal sphincter and gastric clearance are thought to play a part. A range of interventions have been used to relieve symptoms including advice on diet and lifestyle, antacids, antihistamines, and proton pump inhibitors. The safety and effectiveness of these interventions to relieve heartburn in pregnancy have not been established.

Objectives:

To assess the effect of interventions to relieve heartburn in pregnancy.

Search strategy:

We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (April 2008).

Selection criteria:

We included randomised controlled trials evaluating interventions to relieve heartburn.

Data collection and analysis:

We assessed eligibility for inclusion and extracted data independently.

Main results:

Three studies were eligible for inclusion, together they included a total of 286 women. All three were placebo controlled trials, each examining a different medication to relieve heartburn (intramuscular prostigmine, an antacid preparation and an antacid plus ranitidine). All three produced positive findings in favour of the intervention groups. It was not possible to pool findings from studies to produce an overall treatment effect.

Authors' conclusions:

There was little information to draw conclusions on the overall effectiveness of interventions to relieve heartburn in pregnancy.

This record should be cited as:

Dowswell T, Neilson JP. Interventions for heartburn in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD007065. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007065.pub2

Assessed as up to date:

April 30, 2008

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Primary Review Group:

Pregnancy and Childbirth Group

Health topics:

Pregnancy & childbirth > Symptoms during pregnancy

Cochrane Summaries^beta

Independent high-quality evidence for health care decision making

Interventions for heartburn in pregnancy

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