Common heartburn drugs linked to kidney failure in the elderly

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - Older patients taking drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, a common remedy for heartburn and acid reflux, are two times more likely to be hospitalized with kidney failure than peers who don't take the pills, a study finds. While the side effect is extremely rare, and the study doesn't prove the drugs cause kidney failure, the association is worrisome because tens of millions of people a year take these pills, sold by prescription and over-the-counter in some countries, with brand names including Prilosec, Prevacid and Zegerid. "Generally, the drugs are very well tolerated, and the vast majority of patients who take them will not develop (kidney failure) or other serious problems," lead study author Tony Antoniou, a researcher at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said by email. "But the drugs should be used for the shortest possible duration." Antoniou and colleagues identified about 290,000 people aged 66 or older taking proton pump inhibitors in Ontario between 2002 and 2011, as well as a similar number of individuals not taking the drugs.



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