Proton Pump Inhibitors Linked to Dementia

A new study has confirmed an association between proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — drugs that treat heartburn, peptic ulcers, and other acid-related disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract and increased risk for dementia in older patients.

proton pump inhibitors

proton pump inhibitors

The  study, by Willy Gomm, PhD, from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany, and colleagues and published online February 15 in JAMA Neurology, is important, as PPIs are among the most frequently prescribed drugs and their use has been increasing sharply, especially among the elderly.
“Unfortunately, over prescribing of PPIs is reported frequently,” said study coauthor Britta Haenisch, PhD, also from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.
According to some research, up to 70% of all PPI prescriptions could be inappropriate, she told Medscape Medical News.
“In general, clinicians should follow guidelines for PPI prescription to avoid over prescribing PPIs and inappropriate use.”
The study used the largest mandatory public health insurer in Germany, which includes one third of the overall population and as much as 50% of the elderly population. Its database includes information on diagnoses and drug prescriptions.

The analysis included 73,679 subjects aged 75 years or older who initially did not have dementia at baseline. Over the course of the study (2004 – 2011), 29,510 subjects were diagnosed with dementia. More than half (59.0%) had a diagnosis of at least two different types of dementia.
Researchers focused on regular PPI prescription for at least 18 months. They looked at intervals starting with a 1-year baseline in 2004 followed by 18-month intervals, with the last interval lasting 12 months.
Regular PPI use was defined as at least one prescription per quarter in these intervals of omeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, or rabeprazole.

Having diabetes and being prescribed five or more drugs other than the PPI (defined as polypharmacy) were also associated with significantly elevated dementia risk.

“In our analysis, polypharmacy elevated the risk for occurrence of dementia by about 16%,” commented Dr Haenisch.

You can read more about this study at Medscape.

)My own personal note as a nurse is that people get placed on these medications that were never meant to be taken forever.  With the internet today people should be looking up their medications and understanding the long term issues. )

Cite this article: Proton Pump Inhibitors Linked to Dementia. Medscape. Feb 15, 2016.

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