2023-08-10 17:08:47
People who have been taking the gastroesophageal reflux drug, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), for four and a half years or more may have an up to 33% higher risk of dementia than people who do not take these medicines. This is what emerges from a new study published online in ‘Neurology’, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most prescribed gastroprotective drugs, which act by blocking the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach for a long time: they are used to treat gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux, pathologies that can whether or not to be associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, recall the American researchers, authors of the study, currently published online in pre-print. “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 fracture and chronic kidney disease,” Kamakshi said. Lakshminarayan, author of the study.
“Although we didn’t find a link with short-term use, we did find a higher risk of dementia associated with long-term use of these drugs,” says the researcher. Researchers found that people who had been taking anti-reflux drugs for more than 4 years had a 33% higher risk of developing dementia than those who had never taken them. “It’s important for people taking these drugs to talk to their doctors before changing their medications, so we can discuss the best treatment. Abruptly stopping these drugs can cause worse symptoms,” the authors warn.
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