The efficacy low dose of prednisolone in the treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum.
BACKGROUND
To determine whether low dosages of prednisolone are effective in the treatment of outpatients with hyperemesis gravidarum.


METHODS
Eighty pregnant women with gestational ages of 6 to 12 weeks and persistent nausea and vomiting participated. The women were assigned by simple randomization to receive prednisolone 5 mg daily or promethazine 75 mg daily by oral route for 10 days. The severity of nausea, frequency of vomiting per day, sickness and the drugs' side-effects were compared (Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Odds Ratio test).


RESULTS
The women who received promethazine responded better in the first 48 h (p = 0.02). With continuation of the treatment, the difference decreased, and one week after completion of the treatment, the subjects who had received prednisolone had less symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Promethazine reduces the symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum faster than prednisolone, but during prolonged treatment, prednisolone has at least the same effects on the symptoms and less drug side-effects.
Faculty of Medical Science, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran.
Saeideh
S
Ziaei
Fatima Sadat
FS
Hosseiney
Soghrate
S
Faghihzadeh
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006939:Hyperemesis Gravidarum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011398:Promethazine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D011239:Prednisolone; D011398:Promethazine