High blood pressure tied to pregnancy loss

Women whose blood pressure is high before they are pregnant may be at increased risk for miscarriage, a new study has found.

Researchers used data from a study of 1,228 women attempting pregnancy after having previously lost a baby. Of the 797 who achieved pregnancy, 188, or almost a quarter, lost the baby again.

The study, in Hypertension, found no association of blood pressure with the ability to get pregnant. But after adjusting for smoking, body mass index, marital status, education, race and other factors, they found that for each 10-point increase in pre-pregnancy diastolic blood pressure — the bottom number in a blood pressure reading — there was a 17 percent increase in the risk of pregnancy loss.

There are many reasons for miscarriage and inflammation and blood vessel impairment, characteristic of hypertension, are known to be involved in pregnancy loss.

ANTIBIOTICS, ANTACIDS MAY INCREASE ALLERGY RISK

Babies given antibiotics or antacids in infancy may be at increased risk for allergies in childhood.

Researchers retrospectively studied 792,130 infants covered by a health insurance program. Of these, 131,708 received antibiotics, 60,209 got histamine-2 receptor antagonists and 13,687 were given proton pump inhibitors. Both H2 blockers and PPIs are prescribed for gastroesophageal reflex, or GERD.

The study, in JAMA Pediatrics, followed the children for an average of 4 1/2 years. It found that infants given H2 blockers or PPIs were more than twice as likely to have a food allergy as those who were not; the risk was especially high for allergy to cow’s milk. Those given antibiotics were at a 14 percent increased risk for food allergy, a 51 percent increased risk for anaphylaxis (a potentially fatal type of allergic reaction), and more than double the risk for asthma.

The authors suggest that both antacids and antibiotics disrupt the normal intestinal bacteria.