I think that we have all been waiting for a shoe like this to drop since so many infants are medicated for reflux. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 8, 2006 CONTACT: Robert Bock or Marianne Glass Miller, 301-496-5133, [log in to unmask] COMMON REFLUX TREATMENT LINKED TO LIFE THREATENING BOWEL INFECTION IN PREMATURE INFANTS Researchers in an NIH network have found that premature infants given a common class of non-prescription drugs used to treat acid reflux are slightly more likely to develop a potentially fatal bowel disorder than are infants who are not treated with the drugs. The drugs, known as H2 blockers, inhibit the production of stomach acid and may put premature infants at risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious inflammation of the intestines. The study appears in the February 2006 "Pediatrics" and was conducted by researchers in the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. The researchers pointed out that it is not possible to tell from the study whether or not the drugs caused the condition, but nonetheless advised caution with their use for premature infants. "This study strongly suggests that the common practice of prescribing H2 blockers to prevent or treat acid reflux in premature infants be discontinued, until more evidence on the safety of this practice becomes available," said Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health. This NIH News Release is available online at: http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2006/nichd-08.htm. Ellen Penchuk, IBCLC, RLC *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html