Yannick Bacq, Loïc Sentilhes, Humberto B Reyes, Anna Glantz, Jurate Kondrackiene, Tomas Binder, Pier Luigi Nicastri, Anna Locatelli, Annarosa Floreani, Ismael Hernandez, Vincent Di Martino
BACKGROUND & AIMS: We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on pruritus, liver test results, and outcomes of babies born to women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). METHODS: We performed a systematic review of 9 published, randomized controlled trials (3 double blinded) that compared the effects of UDCA to other drugs, placebo, or no specific treatment (controls) in patients with ICP. We analyzed data from 454 patients: 207 received only UDCA, 70 received only placebo, 42 received cholestyramine, 36 received dexamethasone for 1 week and then placebo for 2 weeks, 65 received S-adenosyl-methionine, and 34 received no specific treatment...
December 2012: Gastroenterology