Could PPI use increase risk of hip fractures?
Long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture, according to a large epidemiological study using UK data. The authors note that hypochlorhydria from PPI use could reduce calcium absorption, but that the drugs may also inhibit bone resorption. They therefore carried out a case-control study using data from the UK GPRD to assess whether there was any association between long-term PPI use and hip fracture. The cohort used consisted of PPI users and non-users aged over 50; cases were all those with incident hip fracture and each was matched with ten controls. There were a total of 13,556 cases matched with 135,386 controls. Long-term (> one year) of PPI therapy was associated with an increase in risk of hip fracture (adjusted odds ratio 1.44; 95% CI, 1.30-1.59). Risk was further increased with high-dose PPI use, and with longer duration of treatment. Based on their analysis, the authors conclude that long-term use of PPI may be associated
