Heartburn drugs can double the risk of kidney failure in older people
Research out of Canada has found that older people taking the stomach acid suppressing drugs esomeprazole, lansoprazole or omeprazole are at higher risk of kidney failure. These drugs are known as proton pump inhibitors and common brand names include Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec.
Researchers used medication and hospitalization records from almost 600,000 older individuals in Ontario between 2002 and 2011. Around half of them were taking proton pump inhibitors. The figures showed that kidney failure was more than twice as likely among people taking heartburn medication.
The list of serious side effects from heartburn drugs is long and growing. They increase the risk of dementia, osteoporosis, magnesium deficiency, pneumonia and serious bowel infections caused by Clostridium difficile.
Of course, heartburn and reflux can be extremely uncomfortable and they can cause serious harm to the esophagus, throat or stomach if the condition persists. Interestingly, reflux and heartburn are rarely caused by an excess of stomach acid. Instead, stomach acid travels into the wrong location because of problems with digestive function. Read more
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