Proton Pump Inhibitors May Increase Heart Attack Risk

(HealthDay News) — For U.S. adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) is slightly elevated among those using proton pump inhibitors, according to a review published online in PLOS ONE.

John Cooke, M.D., Ph.D., chair of cardiovascular sciences at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, and colleagues examined over 16 million clinical documents on 2.9 million individuals. The authors sought to assess the association between PPI usage and cardiovascular risk in the general population.

Overall, proton pump inhibitor users were found to be 16% more likely to suffer a MI than patients with chronic GERD who were not taking the drugs. H₂-blockers were not linked to any increase in MI risk, the study authors noted

Cooke told HealthDay that recent lab research suggests that proton pump inhibitors can interfere with normal blood vessel function — a potential mechanism by which the drugs could affect MI risk.

Source

1. Shah, NH, et al. PLOS One; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124653.