Longterm use of Proton Pump Inhibiters linked to dementia
Longterm use of Proton Pump Inhibiters linked to dementia
Previously linked to a higher risk of stroke and heart attack, popular acid reflux medicines have now been connected to an increased likelihood of developing age-related dementia.
Link to study: American Academy of Neurology
After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and race, as well as health-related factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, researchers found people who had been taking acid reflux drugs for more than 4.4 years had a 33% higher risk of developing dementia than people who never took the drugs.
“A buzzy new study on heartburn meds and dementia doesn’t actually clarify anything”
https://www.vox.com/health/2023/8/10/23827408/dementia-heartburn-proton-pump-inhibitors-ppi-prilosec
“Importantly, the study comes on the heels of several larger, higher-quality studies showing the exact opposite of its conclusions — namely, that these medications do not portend an increased risk of dementia.”
Thank you for that. I take anti heartburn meds due to acid reflux and glad to hear not going get dementia from it.
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
The Vox article does a better job of communicating the findings without the hyperbolic headline. The study wasn’t explicitly designed to look for association. Nonetheless, the data is there.
Neither study does a particularly good job determining causality. The higher quality study was limited in time (3 years) and participant age but perhaps the findings also broadly apply.
I hear "proton p--" and immediately start looking around for the Ghostbusters. Anyway, carry on.
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The papers under discussion:
Cumulative Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2023/08/09/WNL.0000000000207747Association of Proton Pump Inhibitor Use With Incident Dementia and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study
https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085%2823%2900873-9/fulltextSafety of Proton Pump Inhibitors Based on a Large, Multi-Year, Randomized Trial of Patients Receiving Rivaroxaban or Aspirin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31152740/