An extensive data-mining study conducted by Dr. Nigam Shah, assistant professor of biomedical informatics and assistant director of the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, and colleagues has found a substantially increased risk of heart attack associated with the most popular type of acid reflux medication. Acid reflux medications that are classified as proton-pump inhibitors were found to produce a 20 percent greater risk of heart attack.
Proton-pump inhibitors are the most frequently used heart burn medication in the United States and account for $14 billion in annual sales. The study found that an older class of acid reflux and heart burn medication called H2 blockers had no association with increased risk of heart attack. The study evaluated over 19 million individuals.
The problem that the researchers found with proton-pump inhibitors is related to previous research conducted at Stanford in 2013 by Dr. Yohannes Ghebremariam. The earlier research found that the lining of blood vessels is caused to deteriorate by proton-pump inhibitors by inhibiting the natural production, release, and uptake of nitric oxide. The data analysis confirms the earlier research and a small study of 1,500 people that experienced symptoms of heart problems while taking proton-pump inhibitors also verified the data study.
The researchers are quick to point out that taking a proton-pump inhibitor does not mean that a person will have a heart attack. There is a higher probability of having a heart attack if a person has one or more predisposing factors that may cause them to have a heart attack. The FDA has advised the manufacturers of proton-pump inhibitors to add information to the warning labels and brochures that come with proton-pump inhibitors. This is extremely necessary now that some proton-pump inhibitors can be acquired without a prescription.
