Minnesota : Prolonged use of acid reflux medications called proton pump inhibitors could increase the risk of dementia, a new study shows.
Previous studies gave conflicting advice on whether the medicines were linked to dementia. This latest research, published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, found that simply taking a proton pump inhibitor did not necessarily result in a higher risk. The key was the amount of time that a person took one of the medicines.
The risk showed up after people used the drugs for more than 4 years. People who used proton pump inhibitors for that duration or longer had a 33% greater risk of developing dementia. (The term dementia refers to a group of conditions marked by abnormal and progressive brain changes, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease.)
Proton pump inhibitors include the drugs esomeprazole, lansoprazole, and omeprazole. Some well-known brand names for these medicines are Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec. They work by reducing stomach acid in people whose stomach acid flows into the esophagus, usually after a meal or when lying down. The condition is called acid reflux and can result in heartburn, ulcers, or a more serious reflux disorder that is linked to cancer of the esophagus.
“Proton pump inhibitors are a useful tool to help control acid reflux, however long-term use has been linked in previous studies to a higher risk of stroke, bone fractures and chronic kidney disease,” study author Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, MBBS, PhD, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said in a statement. “Still, some people take these drugs regularly, so we examined if they are linked to a higher risk of dementia. While we did not find a link with short-term use, we did find a higher risk of dementia associated with long-term use of these drugs.”
Of the 4,222 people in the study who did not take the acid reflux drugs, 415 people developed dementia during the follow-up period. Among the 497 people in the study who took the drugs for more than 4.4 years, 58 people developed dementia.
SOURCES:
1. American Academy of Neurology: “Long-Term Use of Certain Acid Reflux Drugs Linked to Higher Risk of Dementia.”
2. Neurology: “Cumulative Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.”
3. NIH MedlinePlus Magazine: “Heartburn: What you need to know.”
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