Increased Fracture Risk With Proton Pump Inhibitors

According to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, there is an increased risk of hip fractures associated with the use of proton pump inhibitors by the elderly. The increased risk appears especially with long-term and high-dose use. A 44% increased risk of fracture was found with the use of acid suppressive proton pump inhibitors for more than one year. “[L]ong-term high-dose users had 2.6 times greater risk than non-users . . .” Acid suppressive medication is used long-term by millions of people, and hip fracture is a serious medical problem, which leads to 20% one-year mortality. Short-term use, even in high doses, has no likely significant effect on fracture risk. Doctors are encouraged to highly emphasize increased calcium intake with elderly patients who require long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy.