Antacids ups pneumonia-related deaths

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:28:26 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?i...tionid=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.