Children Whose Mothers Take Prescription Acid Blockers More Likely to Have Asthma

A review of data on nearly 30,000 children was presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), showing that those whose mothers took prescription acid-blocking drugs during pregnancy were 51% more likely to suffer from wheezing, breathing difficulties, and other symptoms of asthma.

The researchers looked only at heartburn drugs, including H2 blockers like Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac, and proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Prevacid, Aciphex, Protonix, and Nexium.

Elizabeth Yen, MD, a child health specialist at Harvard and Children’s Hospital Boston says the medications should only be taken "if you're having persistent heartburn that is interfering with your quality of life. And even then, always check with your doctor first."

Former AAAAI president William Busse, MD, head of the allergy section at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, says a link between the use of acid-blocking drugs in pregnancy and childhood asthma makes sense from a physiological point of view. "We know that some immune system regulation that protects us against asthma has its origins in the [acidic] GI tract," he says. "So one has to wonder that if you take drugs that suppress acid in the GI tract, you may be modifying the normal immune surveillance."