Esophageal Disorders

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

PPIs Linked to Dementia in Elderly Patients

Observational study supports previous finding, but potential mechanism unclear

Elderly patients who regularly take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to control the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux may be at increased risk for developing dementia, German researchers have found.
 
Last year, researchers with the German Study on Aging, Cognition and Dementia in Primary Care reported that use of PPIs by people over age 75 years was associated with a 33% increase in the risk for dementia and a 44% increase in the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
 
The new study, of