Proton Pump Inhibitors and Dementia: Deciphering the Data

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are effective and suppressing acid, and therefore have efficacy against gastric acid-related disorders. The long-term safety of PPIs is less clear and there have been a number of studies raising concerns regarding risk of pneumonia, fracture, Clostridium difficile, chronic renal failure, and dementia. This latter concern is addressed by a study in this issue of AJG using health care registry data and found there was no association between PPI use and Alzheimer's dementia. Furthermore, there was no increased risk of dementia with long-term use of PPIs or higher doses of PPIs. Discrepancies between studies probably relate to multiple testing and residual confounding and currently there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the association between PPIs and dementia is causal.