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Evidence suggests parts of the drug may cross the blood–brain barrier, which becomes more porous as a person ages, and interact with brain enzymes. It is not clear how PPIs might make a person more vulnerable to dementia. “How different drugs interact with each other, and what the consequences of long-term use are, continues to be explored by scientists, as the researchers tried to do in this case with PPIs,” says Dr. In fact, an estimated 44% of men and 57% of women older than age 65 take five or more medications 12% of both men and women in this age group take 10 or more. Many older adults also take multiple drugs at one time, a situation known as polypharmacy.
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“They either get used to taking it, and do not think to ask their doctor if they should stop, or they are afraid of what might happen if they do.” “Older adults take more medications as they age, and often continue them long after they are still necessary,” he says. Houman Javedan, clinical director of inpatient geriatrics at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. However, the study continues the ongoing discussion about the impact of long-term medication use, according to Dr. The researchers were quick to stress that this study only provided a statistical association between PPI use and risk of dementia, and that taking PPIs does not automatically mean you will get dementia. Occasional users of PPIs had a much lower risk. Men were at a slightly higher risk than women. Yet, after the eight-year follow-up, chronic PPI users had a 44% increased risk of dementia compared with those who did not take any medication.
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All participants were free of dementia at the study’s beginning. The most common PPIs in use were omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), and esomeprazole (Nexium). In the study, chronic PPI use was defined as at least one prescription every three months in an 18-month window. Experts compared prescription PPI intake and diagnosis of dementia among approximately 74,000 adults ages 75 and older. Research published online on February 15 in JAMA Neurology showed that there may be an association between chronic use of PPIs and an increased risk of dementia. PPIs (omeprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole, and others) help reduce the amount of stomach acid made by glands in the lining of the stomach. These drugs are commonly used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, and peptic ulcers.
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A new study has shed light on one of the long-term effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).
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