A new study provides reassurance about the safety of long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPIs) and histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) use in older adults, finding no increased risk for dementia or cognitive changes.
It was published online in Gastroenterology.
The post hoc observational study was led by Raaj Mehta, MD, PhD, with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
The researchers analyzed results from the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly clinical trial. The randomized trial of aspirin included 18,934 adults aged 65 and older from the United States and Australia. Patients’ use of PPI and H2RA was tracked, along with dementia incidence and cognitive changes.
The results showed that there was no link to new dementia diagnoses in patients who used PPIs (25%) and H2RA (2%) at baseline, versus those who did not use either heartburn medication.
Limitations of prior studies are referenced, including the potential for residual confounding and underestimation of PPI and H2RA use, the lack of data on medication dose and duration, and the absence of apo E4 allele status.
The study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and other institutions. Dr. Mehta has disclosed no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.