Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common liver disorder in pregnancy, associated with pruritus, elevated bile acids, and increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. While Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) is the first-line treatment, some patients respond inadequately. This s...

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Main Authors: Ayesha Amjad, Sadia Aftab, Tahreem Sehar, Samana Haider, Tehmina Aziz Qureshi, Kainaat Kanwal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ziauddin University 2025-07-01
Series:Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry
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Online Access:https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3803
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author Ayesha Amjad
Sadia Aftab
Tahreem Sehar
Samana Haider
Tehmina Aziz Qureshi
Kainaat Kanwal
author_facet Ayesha Amjad
Sadia Aftab
Tahreem Sehar
Samana Haider
Tehmina Aziz Qureshi
Kainaat Kanwal
author_sort Ayesha Amjad
collection DOAJ
description Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common liver disorder in pregnancy, associated with pruritus, elevated bile acids, and increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. While Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) is the first-line treatment, some patients respond inadequately. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of UDCA alone versus UDCA combined with Rifampicin in reducing clinical symptoms and improving biochemical markers in women with ICP. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Unit 1, PIMS Islamabad, from August 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023. A total of 122 pregnant women diagnosed with ICP were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling and divided into two groups. Group A received UDCA alone, and Group B received UDCA plus Rifampicin. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, gestational age 24–36 weeks, serum bile acids >10 µmol/L, and/or raised liver enzymes. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, with independent t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical data. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:The combination therapy group showed significantly greater reductions in pruritus (p = 0.023), serum bile acids, liver enzymes, and bilirubin levels (p < 0.0001) at 2 and 4 weeks compared to UDCA alone. Conclusion:  Rifampicin combined with UDCA is more effective than UDCA monotherapy in improving both clinical and biochemical outcomes in ICP.
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spelling doaj-art-fb6b90a420ea4e339626d92d90da12f42025-08-20T03:51:19Zengziauddin UniversityPakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry2313-73712308-25932025-07-0114310.36283/ziun-pjmd14-3/040Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric CholestasisAyesha Amjad0Sadia Aftab1Tahreem Sehar2Samana Haider3Tehmina Aziz Qureshi4Kainaat Kanwal5Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan.Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences ,Islamabad,Pakistan.Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences ,Islamabad,Pakistan.Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan.Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan.Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences ,Islamabad,Pakistan. Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common liver disorder in pregnancy, associated with pruritus, elevated bile acids, and increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. While Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) is the first-line treatment, some patients respond inadequately. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of UDCA alone versus UDCA combined with Rifampicin in reducing clinical symptoms and improving biochemical markers in women with ICP. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Unit 1, PIMS Islamabad, from August 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023. A total of 122 pregnant women diagnosed with ICP were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling and divided into two groups. Group A received UDCA alone, and Group B received UDCA plus Rifampicin. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, gestational age 24–36 weeks, serum bile acids >10 µmol/L, and/or raised liver enzymes. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, with independent t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical data. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:The combination therapy group showed significantly greater reductions in pruritus (p = 0.023), serum bile acids, liver enzymes, and bilirubin levels (p < 0.0001) at 2 and 4 weeks compared to UDCA alone. Conclusion:  Rifampicin combined with UDCA is more effective than UDCA monotherapy in improving both clinical and biochemical outcomes in ICP. https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3803Ursodeoxycholic acidIntrahepatic Cholestasis of PregnancyRifampinPruritusLiver Function Tests
spellingShingle Ayesha Amjad
Sadia Aftab
Tahreem Sehar
Samana Haider
Tehmina Aziz Qureshi
Kainaat Kanwal
Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis
Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry
Ursodeoxycholic acid
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy
Rifampin
Pruritus
Liver Function Tests
title Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis
title_full Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis
title_fullStr Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis
title_short Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Alone Verses Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Rifampicin in Obstetric Cholestasis
title_sort effect of ursodeoxycholic acid alone verses ursodeoxycholic acid and rifampicin in obstetric cholestasis
topic Ursodeoxycholic acid
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy
Rifampin
Pruritus
Liver Function Tests
url https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3803
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