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Widely used heartburn drugs are associated with
increased risk of death, and the longer a person
uses the drugs, the greater the risk, new research
suggests.
Popular heartburn pills known as proton pump
inhibitors (PPIs) have also been shown to be
potentially involved in cognitive decline (a study
of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
in Bonn, Germany
Link...)
and the people who take them may be more likely to
develop intestinal infections than people who don’t
take these medications, a Scottish study suggests
Link...
may be more likely to develop intestinal infections
than people who don’t take these medications.
A new study included nearly 349,312 new users of
PPIs or H2 blockers, another type of
acid-suppressing drug.
They also compared PPI users and non-users within a
group of nearly 3.3 million people, and PPI versus
no PPI and no H2 blockers among about 2.9 million
people.
The results suggest excess risk of death among PPI
users.
Risk is also increased among those without
gastrointestinal conditions and with prolonged
duration of use.
When a person has heartburn or reflux, the study’s
senior author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis said,
possible root causes like obesity, poor diet or
smoking should be addressed first.
“Any intake or use of PPIs should be under the
watchful and vigilant eye of a physician, for the
smallest dose that’s effective and the shortest
period of time,” he said.
They are often overprescribed, rarely deprescribed
and frequently started inappropriately during a
hospital stay, and their use extended for long-term
duration without appropriate medical indication.
See also
Gastric reflux drugs are potentially involved in
cognitive decline (2016-02-17)
Link...
Heartburn pills tied to bacterial gastroenteritis
(2017-01-22)
Link...
For more information
Risk of death among users of Proton Pump Inhibitors:
a longitudinal observational cohort study of United
States veterans
Link...
Washington University School of Medicine
Link...
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