Aging options Archives

antacids increase pneumonia risk-JAMA

US News and World Report 11/8/04, page,74, STOMACH ACID REDUX:
Acid infdigestion, gastric reflux, ulcers, and other digestive problems plague about a third of the United States population and make for a $13 billion-a -year antacid industry. Newer acid-suppressing drugs-the H-2 receptor antagonists, such as Tagamet and Zantac, and the proton pump inhibitors, Prrilosec and Nexium- have spelled relief for millions of people.
But a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association adds a sour note to the safety record of these stomach-sweetening drugs. Among some 364.700 Dutch patients, those taking these acid-suppressing drugs developed pneumonia 4 1/2 times more often than people who never took the drugs. The risk was greatest for people taking proton pump inhibitors [Prilosec and Nexium]. Why? Because stomach acid protects the body from invasion by pathogens through the gastrointestinal tract. Pneumonia can be deadly to the elderly, who tend to be major consumers of acid-suppressing drugs.

Re: antacids increase pneumonia risk-JAMA

Re: antacids increase pneumonia risk-JAMA (Archive in aging.)