Millions of people around the world take medicines every day to relieve heartburn, acid reflux, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, also called GERD.
These conditions happen when stomach acid flows back into the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This can cause a burning feeling in the chest, a sour taste in the mouth, coughing, and discomfort after eating. For many people, these problems happen often enough to affect sleep, work, and daily life.
One of the most common treatments is a group of medicines called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. Well-known examples include Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid. These medicines reduce the amount of acid made by the stomach, helping symptoms improve and protecting the food pipe from long-term damage.
Because they work well, PPIs have become some of the most widely used medicines in the world. In the United States alone, about one in ten adults takes them. Although PPIs are very helpful for many patients, scientists have continued to study whether taking them for a long time could have unwanted side effects.
A recent study from the University of California San Diego has added to these concerns by suggesting that PPIs may be linked with a higher chance of kidney problems. The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports. The researchers used information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System, known as FAERS.
This large public database collects reports from doctors, healthcare workers, patients, and drug companies about possible side effects linked to medicines after they reach the market. By studying these reports, researchers can sometimes discover safety signals that were not obvious during earlier clinical trials.
In this study, the team examined records from about 43,000 people who were taking only PPIs, without combining them with other medicines. They compared these patients with about 8,000 people who were taking another type of acid-reducing medicine called H2 blockers.
H2 blockers lower stomach acid in a different way and include medicines such as Pepcid and the older drug Zantac. The comparison showed a clear difference. About 5.6% of people taking only PPIs reported kidney-related problems, while only about 0.7% of people taking H2 blockers reported similar problems.
The researchers also found that people taking PPIs were about 28 times more likely to report chronic kidney disease than people taking H2 blockers.
The study also linked PPIs with acute kidney injury, end-stage kidney failure, other forms of kidney damage, and problems with electrolytes, which are important minerals that help control fluid balance, nerve signals, and muscle function. Even small changes in electrolyte levels can sometimes lead to serious health problems.
Even though these findings are concerning, they do not prove that PPIs directly caused the kidney problems. The FAERS database can show an association between a medicine and a reported side effect, but it cannot prove that one caused the other. Other health conditions or risk factors may also have played a role.
Even so, the results suggest that doctors and patients should use these medicines carefully, especially when they are taken for a long time or by people who already have kidney disease or other medical conditions. This is not the first time PPIs have attracted attention from researchers.
In 2017, another study from the same university suggested that these medicines might also be linked to liver problems in both mice and humans. These findings have encouraged scientists to continue investigating whether PPIs may affect several organs when used over many years.
Despite these concerns, the World Health Organization still lists PPIs as essential medicines because they provide major benefits for many patients. For people with severe acid reflux, stomach ulcers, or other serious digestive conditions, these medicines can greatly improve quality of life and prevent dangerous complications.
However, experts say patients should take the lowest effective dose for the shortest time needed whenever possible and should regularly review their treatment with their doctor. Some people may benefit from switching to an H2 blocker or improving symptoms through weight management, avoiding foods that trigger reflux, eating smaller meals, or not lying down soon after eating.
Regular medical check-ups and blood tests may also help detect early kidney problems in people who need long-term treatment. Overall, the study reminds us that every medicine has both benefits and risks. Learning about these risks allows patients and doctors to make better decisions together while making sure that treatment remains both safe and effective.
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.
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