Using popular drugs that are intended to treat heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers for an extended period of time has been linked to an increased risk in premature death.
These deadly popular drugs are called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and in just one year approximately 243,000 people aged 65 years and older in New Zealand (34% of this population) were dispensed a PPI.
A study completed in America linked the long-term use of PPIs to fatal cases of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and upper gastrointestinal cancer. The study found that such deadly risks increased in correlation with the duration of a patient’s use of PPIs, even at low doses.
Other studies have been completed looking into the risks and health problems caused by the use of PPIs. Some of the adverse health problems found were dementia, heart disease, bone fracture, pneumonia, among others.
The study followed patients that were newly prescribed PPIs or another class of acid-suppression drugs known as H2 blockers. H2 blockers are a group of medicines that reduce the amount of acid produced by the cells in the lining of the stomach. They followed a total of 214,467 patients for up to 10 years during the study (157,325 PPI, 56,542 H2 blockers).
The researchers found that the PPI users increased their risk of death by 17 percent compared to the H2 blocker group. They calculated the death rates for PPIs were 389 per 1,000 people, and H2 blockers were 342 per 1,000. The researchers discovered per 1,000 PPI users, 15 died from heart disease, four died from chronic kidney disease and two from stomach cancer. Death rates due to cardiovascular disease were 88 among the PPI group and 73 among the H2 blockers group.
The senior author of the study, Ziyad Al-Aly said “These people may be exposed to potential harm when it is unlikely the drugs are benefiting their health. Our study suggests the need to avoid PPIs when not medically necessary. For those who have a medical need, PPI use should be limited to the lowest effective dose and shortest duration possible.”
Reference:
Xie, Y. et al., Estimates of all cause mortality and cause specific mortality associated with proton pump inhibitors amount US veterans. BMJ, 2019.