A popular heartburn medication has been linked to the development of dementia
Popular acid reflux drugs have been linked to the development of age-related dementia.Acid reflux medications are also known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). They affect the proton pumps that produce the acid secreted into the stomach. This keeps excess acid from entering the esophagus, preventing heartburn and other serious gastrointestinal problems that can even lead to cancer.
Researchers from the American Academy of Neurology looked at data from 5,712 people from the ARIC Atherosclerosis Risk Study, ages 45 to 64, who did not have dementia at the time of their first health assessment (1987-1989).
Nearly 1,500 participants were taking PPIs during the study. Researchers took into account measures of age, gender, race, and comorbidities such as high blood pressure. It turned out that about 497 participants had been taking PPIs for more than four years and four months. Fifty-eight of them developed dementia.
However, the study found that if people took the drugs for less than four years and four months, there was no threat of developing a risk of dementia.
Acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is a condition in which acid normally found in the stomach is taken up into the esophagus, which is the muscular tube that connects the mouth and stomach.
The study is published in the journal Neurology.