Side effects of proton pump inhibitors: how real are they in clinical practice?

Abstract

The presented article discusses the risk of side eff ects when using proton pump inhibitors (PPI): infectious complications (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, Clostridium difficile-associated disease, community-acquired pneumonia, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis), stomach cancer, myocardial infarction, hypomagnesemia, iron and vitamin B12 deficiency, kidney damage, bone fractures, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease. An analysis of the literature indicates a weak causal relationship between the occurrence of these diseases and the use of PPI. Nevertheless, it is necessary to strive for the appointment of these drugs in the minimum effective dose and for as short a time as possible.