16 million patients, or about a quarter of French people, are treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), according to figures from the High Authority for Health. These drugs are prescribed in the treatment of stomach ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) because they reduce gastric acid secretion.
Medications to be taken with caution
In recent years, studies have shown that these antacid drugs can arouse allergies in some patients, that they increase the risk of heart attack and that they are also contraindicated in cancer treatment.
A new study from the University of Minnesota (United States) adds a potential risk to this long list: taken over the long term, proton pump inhibitors would increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
A risk after more than 4 years of prescription
The study included 5712 people, aged 45 and over, who did not have dementia at the start of the study. All participants were divided into 4 groups: those who were not taking medication; those who took it up to 2.8 years; those who took it between 2.8 and 4.4 years and those who took it for more than 4.4 years.
“Of the 4222 people who did not take medication, 415 developed dementia, or 19 cases per 1000 person-years. Of the 497 people who took medication for more than 4.4 years, 58 developed dementia. dementia, or 24 cases per 1,000 person-years,” the researchers point out. In contrast, they did not find a higher risk of dementia in people who took the drugs for less than 4.4 years.
“Further research is needed to confirm our findings and explore the reasons for the possible link between long-term use of proton pump inhibitors and a higher risk of dementia,” said Dr. Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, lead author of the study.
Source : Cumulative Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Neurology, August 2023
