Takeaway
- This study found no evidence of an association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and increased risk of dementia.
- Rather, PPI use was associated with around a 30% reduced risk of dementia.
Why this matters
- Findings may reassure people who are currently taking PPIs.
- Previously reported links may be associated with confounders of people using PPIs, such as greater risk of cardiovascular disease or depression and their associated therapies which may be responsible for any increased risk of dementia.
Study design
- This population-based study included 315078 individuals using data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, Wales, UK, from 1999 to 2015 (PPI-exposed group, n=183968 [58.4%]; mean age, 69.9 years and non-PPI exposed group, n=131110 [41.62%]; mean age, 72.1 years).
- Mean follow-up period: 13.04 years.
- Primary outcome: diagnosis of incident dementia.
- Funding: None.
Key results
- Overall, the incident dementia rate was 11.8% (37,148/315,078).
- The incidence of dementia was 11.4% (21,023) in the PPI-exposed group and 12.3% (16,125) in the non-PPI exposed group.
- PPI use was associated with a 30% reduced risk of dementia (adjusted HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.65-0.69; P<.001).
- The rate of death was significantly higher in the non-PPI vs PPI-exposed group (53.3% vs 43.5%; difference, 9.8%; 95% CI, 9.5-10.2).
Limitations
- Study did not take into account the duration or dose of PPI treatment.
- Risk of misclassification bias.
- No stratification on dementia type.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
