If you’re someone who is regularly prescribed with heartburn medication, you are 70 per cent more likely to be hospitalised with infection gastroenteritis, researchers suggest.
According to a new study conducted by the Australian National University discovered that those who use common heartburn drugs have a higher chance of being admitted to hospital with gastro than those who don’t.
And considering that, as reported by the ABC, more than 19 millions scripts for proton pump inhibitors (a common gastric acid suppressant) are prescribed to Aussies each year, this is a worrying discovery.
What scientists found is that when people take this medication, their stomachs possess less acid than usual.
“There is no doubt that PPIs are an effective treatment for reflux and heartburn,” lead author of the Yingxi Chen Chen told the ABC.
“However, clinicians and the patients using them should be fully aware of the side effects when considering PPI use and dosage.”
This comes just two days after researchers in the UK reported that mums-to-be who take heartburn medication may be exposing their children to a bigger risk of developing asthma.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh argue that children born to pregnant women who had been taking acid-blocking drugs to reduce heartburn and acid reflux were a third more likely to have seen a doctor to treat symptoms of asthma.
If you are experiencing heartburn, or want to know more about the kind of heartburn medication you are being prescribed, book an appointment with your local GP to talk it through.
