Taking proton pump inhibitors to treat ulcers and  gastroesophageal reflux disease for long periods of time increases the risk of  osteoporosis-related fractures, particularly hip fractures, according to a  report in the Aug. 12 issue of the 

  Laura E. Targownik, MD, and colleagues from the University of Manitoba  in Winnipeg, Canada, compared the use of proton  pump inhibitors among 15,792 cases of osteoporosis-related fractures (hip,  vertebra, or wrist) and 47,289 matched controls.

  The researchers found no significant increase in overall  osteoporosis-related fracture risk with use of proton pump inhibitors for 6  years or less, but a significant increase with 7 or more years of exposure  (adjusted odds ratio, 1.92). For hip fractures, there was a significant  increase in risk after exposure to proton pump inhibitors for 5 or more years  (adjusted OR, 1.62), which increased even further after 7 or more years of  exposure (adjusted OR, 4.55), the study authors report.

  “Clinicians must weigh the proven benefits of proton pump  inhibitors when appropriately prescribed against the potential risk of  osteoporotic fracture,” J. Brent Richards, MD, and David Goltzman, MD, from  McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, write in an accompanying  editorial. (Two of the study authors report financial relationships with the  pharmaceutical industry.)


Use  of proton pump inhibitors and risk of osteoporosis-related fractures. 

Taking proton pump inhibitors to treat ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease for long periods of time increases the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures, particularly hip fractures, according to a report in the Aug.