Heartburn pills may raise kidney disease risk
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New York: Popping common over-the-counter pills for controlling stomach acid, gas and heartburn daily may put you at chronic kidney disease risk in the long run, a team from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and others have cautioned.
Most commonly prescribed pills like Omeprazole, Rabeprazole and Pantoprazole, which come under the group called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), appear to be associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, warn the researchers.
They, however, say that more research is needed to determine whether PPI use causes kidney damage.
"Our study is observational and does not provide evidence of causality. However, a causal relationship between PPI use and CKD could have a considerable public health effect given the widespread extent of use," the authors noted in an article published online by the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
The findings suggest that up to 70 percent of these prescriptions are without indication and that 25 percent of long-term PPI users could discontinue therapy without developing symptoms. "Indeed, there are already calls for the reduction of unnecessary use of PPIs," the study noted.
Most commonly prescribed pills like Omeprazole, Rabeprazole and Pantoprazole, which come under the group called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), appear to be associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, warn the researchers.
They, however, say that more research is needed to determine whether PPI use causes kidney damage.
"Our study is observational and does not provide evidence of causality. However, a causal relationship between PPI use and CKD could have a considerable public health effect given the widespread extent of use," the authors noted in an article published online by the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
The findings suggest that up to 70 percent of these prescriptions are without indication and that 25 percent of long-term PPI users could discontinue therapy without developing symptoms. "Indeed, there are already calls for the reduction of unnecessary use of PPIs," the study noted.
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