What are Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)?
You might recognize them by names like Prilosec, Nexium, or Prevacid. PPIs are widely used to help with heartburn, acid reflux, and similar issues. In fact, 1 in 10 adults in the US takes these medications.
The Study: Focusing on Kidney Health
A group of researchers from the University of California San Diego decided to look closer at PPIs and their impact on kidneys.
They used data from a big database (FAERS) that keeps records of problems people report after taking medications.
To be specific:
- They looked at around 43,000 patients who only took PPIs.
- They also observed about 8,000 patients who took another kind of heartburn medicine called histamine-2 receptor blockers (like Zantac or Pepcid) without mixing with any other drugs.
The Findings: A Concern for Kidney Health
The results raised some eyebrows:
5.6% of the patients who took only PPIs reported kidney issues, but only 0.7% of the other group reported similar problems.
If you were a patient only taking PPIs, you had a much higher risk (28.4 times!) of getting chronic kidney disease compared to the other group.
The risks weren’t just for one type of kidney issue. Patients taking PPIs also had a higher risk of sudden kidney damage, end-stage kidney disease, and other kidney problems.
One more thing – some patients on PPIs reported having problems with their body’s salt and mineral balance.
What This Means for You
Even though PPIs help many people, these results mean we need to be more careful.
If someone already has a chance of getting kidney disease, they might need to think twice before starting PPIs or get more regular check-ups.
And this isn’t the first time PPIs have been in the spotlight. A study in 2017 also found that these drugs might be linked to liver disease.
Further Reading
For those interested in kidney health, there’s more to read about how to better deal with kidney disease or how heartburn medicines might silently harm kidneys over time.
If you’re curious about all the details of this study, check out the report in the Scientific Reports journal. It’s the work of Ruben Abagyan and his team.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about pesticide linked to chronic kidney disease, and this drug may prevent kidney failure in people with diabetes.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about drug duo that may treat kidney failure, and results showing these vegetables may protect against kidney damage.
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