A popular class of heartburn medications might raise a senior’s risk of dementia, a new study suggests.
Called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), this group of drugs includes omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium) and lansoprazole (Prevacid.) They work by lowering the amount of acid produced by the stomach.
But German researchers found that people 75 or older who regularly take the medications had a 44 per cent increased risk of dementia, compared with seniors not using the drugs. The study only found an association, however, and not a cause-and-effect link.
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