Gastric acid drugs may increase hip fracture risk

Gastroenterology. 2010;139:93-101. [July 2010]

The use of drugs that inhibit gastric acid is linked to a higher risk of hip fracture among patients; however, with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) this appears to be limited to those who have at least one other fracture risk factor, according to researchers from the Kaiser Permanente division of research in Oakland, California. The researchers used prescription data to assess the use of PPIs or histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) in 33,752 members diagnosed with fractures of the hip/femur, and a matched control group of 130,471 members without fractures for up to 10 years. The researchers found that those who had suffered hip fractures were more likely to have previously received at least a two-year supply of PPIs compared to controls. However, for those who received their last prescription for PPIs 2 to 2.9 years prior, the fracture risk decreased.