Concerns have been raised about the intake of popular heartburn drugs. Several studies have linked it to the development of serious health risks including that of cancer. Popularly known as heartburn pills, the long-term use of these proton pump inhibitors (PPI) have been associated with the odds of early death.
The Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, in coordination with the Washington University School of Medicine, has conducted a study to look into the links of the intake of such drugs to the development of chronic kidney diseases, fatal cardiovascular conditions, and stomach cancer. These are just to name a few of the diseases associated with the long-term intake of such PPIs.
The results of the study are particularly alarming considering that more than 15 million of the American population have been prescribed such drugs. The results show that the longer the patient takes the drugs, the higher the risk he has of developing these deadly diseases. According to the study, this is true even in instances when the drug dosage is given is low.
The study considered the medical data kept from 2002 to 2004. More than 200,000 patients were prescribed by their doctors to take PPI heartburn medicines or the H2 blockers, the newer variant of drugs of the same function. The record of these patients was kept within a span of ten years. Of the more than 150,000 patients who had religiously taken their PPI medication, the study has found that almost 17% of the total number has increased risks of death compared to those who were taking the H2 blocker.
Based on the data they collected, the researchers made an estimate revealing that for every 1,000 people who are taking the PPI medication, there would roughly be 45 deaths. The drugs have been linked to deaths attributed to stomach cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease.
It may be important to note that more than 80% of the takers of PPI has been recorded to have a low dosage. They also included people in the study who were taking over the counter PPI drugs. Past research studies have also linked the intake of PPI drugs to other health conditions such as pneumonia, dementia and even bone fractures.
The results of the study are yet to be published but researchers remain hopeful that this would be the beginning of thorough studies on these prescribed medications.
