Heartburn medication link to asthma in babies

Babies born to mothers who take heartburn medication during pregnancy could have a greater risk of developing asthma, research suggests.

A review of studies has found those whose mothers were prescribed drugs to deal with acid reflux in pregnancy were more likely to be treated for asthma in childhood.

Experts stress the research is at a very early stage and is not conclusive, advising expectant mothers to continue to take any medication they need under the guidance of their doctor or nurse.

They say the association could be caused by a separate, linked factor and that further research is needed to determine whether the medicines affect the health of children.

Heartburn is caused by stomach acid passing from the stomach back into the oesophagus, the tube that connects the stomach to the throat.

Researchers, led by the universities of Edinburgh and Tampere in Finland, reviewed eight previous studies that had examined health records involving more than 1.3 million children.

The team found that children born to mothers who had been prescribed acid-blocking drugs during pregnancy were at least a third more likely to have visited a doctor for symptoms of asthma.

The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.