Heartburn Medication May Increase Heart Attack Risk

Heartburn happens to just about everyone at some point. But, is it possible that the seemingly harmless over-the-counter medications used to treat heartburn could actually increase your risk of having a heart attack? Researchers at Stanford University think so. 

In a new data mining study released this week, researchers found that individuals who took heartburn medications to reduce excessive stomach acid were 16 to 21 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack. The researchers used data mining instead of a more expensive clinical study. Data mining is becoming more common as technology permits, however researchers agree a larger clinical study is necessary to establish for certain whether the drugs are actually causing more heart attacks. 

Data mining allowed researchers to analyze the electronic records of 2.9 million patients in two different databases. One database included patients seen at Stanford medical facilities between 1994 and 2011. The other database included patients seen at small practices around the country between 2007 and 2012.

The study’s lead author, Nicholas J. Leeper, is an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine and vascular surgery at Stanford University. He told the Washington Post that high-risk groups and the elderly should be aware of the study’s findings so they can begin a dialogue with their providers about their heartburn. Since many heartburn medications, also known as proton pump inhibitors, are now available over-the-counter, researchers are concerned that patients may not be sharing with their doctors that they are taking them. 

The most commonly taken drugs are Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid. These drugs work by blocking the secretion of acid into the stomach, which helps to reduce or eliminate gastroesophogeal reflux disease or heartburn. The drugs have had few side effects except for in patients who take Plavix for blood thinning. The study excluded those patients. 

One explanation researchers have provided for why these medications may increase the risk of heart attack is that they lower nitric oxide production in the cells that line the circulatory system, which includes the heart. Low nitric oxide levels have long been linked to cardiovascular issues. This theory is still being tested in the lab at Stanford.

Leeper says the study should not be seen as an anti-drug company. He says it is impossible and often cost-prohibitive for drug companies to pick up all side effects of a drug during clinical research. Even still he stresses that “we think that this risk is real, and it ought to be investigated."

To learn more, read the entire article.