Ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of intraheptic cholestasis of pregnancy

In order to observe the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in the treatment of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), 68 patients with ICP were equally divided into treatment group and control group at random. The patients in treatment group were administered with UDCA 300 mg three times every day and those in control group received a combination of 10% glucose, Vitamin C and Inosine. Itching scores, serum ALT and total bile acids (TBA) were measured before, during and after treatment. The results showed that as compared with those before treatment, itching scores, serum ALT and TBA were significantly reduced after treatment (P<0.05). The occurrences of premature labor, fetal asphyxia and meconium staining in amniotic fluid were significantly lower in treatment group than in control group (P<0.05). It was suggested that UDCA was an effective drug in the treatment of ICP.