New study links PPI inhibitors with chronic kidney disease

A new study suggested that people who took popular heartburn pills known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) might run the risk of developing chronic kidney disease, as compared to individuals who did not use them, Reuters said.

"There appears to be mounting observational evidence that PPIs - historically a class thought to be extremely safe - have some adverse effects," said lead author Dr Morgan Grams of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

"Given the widespread use of PPIs, even relatively rare adverse effects can impact large numbers of people," Grams added by email. "Thus, I think it wise to be judicious in the use of PPIs."

The pills had also been linked to this side effect and while scientists were unsure how the drugs affected the kidneys, earlier research had linked PPIs to kidney inflammation known as interstitial nephritis.

As PPIs inhibit cells in the stomach lining from producing too much acid, they helped prevent ulcers and reduce reflux symptoms such as heartburn.

According to CBS reports, Proton pump inhibitors were used by over 15 million Americans in 2013.

PPIs appeared to be safe when initially approved in the 1980s. Since then, concerns had been increasing about their safety and there was evidence that the drugs might increase the risk for a variety of problems, including bone fractures, infections and possibly even heart problems.

Grams and her colleagues examined the medical records of two groups of people: 10,482 participants in the Artherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and 248,751 patients in the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania.

Among the 322 people using PPIs in the ARIC study, the 10-year estimated absolute risk for chronic kidney disease was 11.8 per cent, according to the researchers as against the expected risk of 8.5 per cent.

The 10-year absolute risk among the 16,900 patients using PPIs in the Geisinger Health System stood at 15.6 per cent, as against the expected 13.9 per for developing chronic kidney disease.

According to Grams, it was not possible from the data to determine who was at highest risk of developing kidney disease.

The study only considered whether someone had been given a prescription for a PPI and did not look at how long someone might have been on the drug.

Grams further stressed that her study did not prove that the drugs could cause chronic kidney disease. She said more research was needed to explore the association she found.