revision
05-27-2009, 05:08 PM
Antacids ups pneumonia-related deaths
Wed, 27 May 2009 16:28:26 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=96191§ionid=3510210
The routine practice of acid-reducing medications for non-acid reflux related purposes accounts for an estimated 33,000 deaths a year.
Proton pump inhibitors and other acid-suppressing drugs known as H2 blockers are commonly prescribed for more than 50% of the hospitalized patients with the aim of reducing the risk of stress-related ulcers, which can be life threatening.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the regular use of these drugs increases the risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia in patients with a very low risk for developing ulcers by 30 percent.
Acid-suppressive medications are believed to alter the bacterial flora of the respiratory tract, placing the individual at a greater risk of developing pneumonia.
Scientists therefore urged physicians not to prescribe acid-suppressing drugs in non-ventilated, non ICU-treated patients with a low risk for developing stress ulcers routinely.
They, however, stressed that hospitalized and non-hospitalized individuals taking these medications for symptoms such as frequent heartburn or ulcers should not stop taking them, adding that the pneumonia risk in these individuals is reportedly low.
Wed, 27 May 2009 16:28:26 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=96191§ionid=3510210
The routine practice of acid-reducing medications for non-acid reflux related purposes accounts for an estimated 33,000 deaths a year.
Proton pump inhibitors and other acid-suppressing drugs known as H2 blockers are commonly prescribed for more than 50% of the hospitalized patients with the aim of reducing the risk of stress-related ulcers, which can be life threatening.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the regular use of these drugs increases the risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia in patients with a very low risk for developing ulcers by 30 percent.
Acid-suppressive medications are believed to alter the bacterial flora of the respiratory tract, placing the individual at a greater risk of developing pneumonia.
Scientists therefore urged physicians not to prescribe acid-suppressing drugs in non-ventilated, non ICU-treated patients with a low risk for developing stress ulcers routinely.
They, however, stressed that hospitalized and non-hospitalized individuals taking these medications for symptoms such as frequent heartburn or ulcers should not stop taking them, adding that the pneumonia risk in these individuals is reportedly low.