Two new studies indicate new risks of using popular medicines against heartburn: they increase the risk of iron deficiency in the body and increase the possibility of infections.
Heartburn occurs when the acidic contents of the stomach coming back up into the esophagus, this condition is called gastroesophageal reflux. A huge number of people taking against this condition drugs that inhibit acid secretion.
New international study found a link between some popular drugs for heartburn and iron deficiency.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne, Utrecht and Maastricht jointly held the first of its kind study which showed that proton pump inhibitors (PPIS), the mass assignable to treat heartburn, ulcers and gastritis, are associated with iron deficiency. The preparations of PPIS include omeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, and others. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia affecting about 2.2 billion people worldwide.
Doctor EN Duy Tran (Duy An Tran), senior research fellow, University of Melbourne, argues that STIs can lead to poor absorption of iron, because it requires acid.
The study, published in the journal Journal of Internal Medicine, used data from more than 50,000 patients. The study showed that continuous use of PPIS for more than a year increases the risk of iron deficiency. People have to take daily one tablet of 20 mg of IPP or more, there was an increased risk of iron deficiency compared with people taking one or more tablets per day.
Other recent studies have also shown that long-term use of PPIS is associated with stomach cancer and intestinal infection, chronic kidney disease, pneumonia and even lower sperm count in men.
In addition, another new British study found that the popular drugs for heartburn may increase the risk of potentially fatal infections.
As it turned out, people taking PPIS are more often infected with dangerous diseases caused by, for example, Escherichia coli E. coli. Researchers believe that medications for heartburn can allow harmful organisms to spread by reducing the acidity level in the stomach which normally kills them.
Microbiologists in hospitals of the British Plymouth have studied 126 patients suffering from enterobacteria, resistant to the drugs. Such, for example, include Escherichia coli (E. coli), which occur in the intestine, where they do not cause any harm. But if they get into other parts of the body (lungs, urinary tract or blood), it can be life-threatening. They are often resistant to antibiotics and caused their infections are spread more often.
Dmitry Kolesnik