Proton Pump Inhibitors May Be Linked To Higher Rates Of CKD.

The Washington Post (1/12, Bernstein) “To Your Health” blog reports that research published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that proton pump inhibitors may be linked to “higher rates of chronic kidney disease [CKD].” Researchers “studied the records of more than 10,000 people treated in community-based settings.” The investigators “found a 20 percent to 50 percent greater risk of the onset of” CKD “among users of the drugs than those who did not take them.”

The NPR (1/12, Stein) “Shots” blog reports that the investigators also studied “248,751 patients in the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania.” The data indicated that “the 10-year absolute risk” for CKD “among the 16,900 patients using PPIs in the” health system “was 15.6 percent, whereas 13.9 percent would have been expected to develop” CKD. Also covering the story are Reuters (1/12, Rapaport), HealthDay (1/12, Thompson), MedPage Today (1/12, Boyles), and Medscape (1/12, Kelly).