Proton-Pump Inhibitors and Increased Cardiovascular Risk: Hype or Harm?

New findings do not merit changes in PPI prescribing practices for cardiovascular risks alone.

The suggestion of an association between proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) use and cardiovascular harm has been shown previously in retrospective analyses in which cardiovascular risk was not the primary endpoint. Based on their own previous animal-study findings supporting a biological mechanism, researchers evaluated the association between PPI use and myocardial infarction (MI) in a data-mining pharmacovigilance study using two large electronic medical record databases. Their data-mining approach had a diagnostic accuracy of 89% and a positive-predictive value of 81%.

Code-based extractions with adjustment for age, gender, race, length of observation, and other drugs used (as proxies for health status) showed a 1.16-fold increased risk (95% con…

Reviewing Author

David A. Johnson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory boardMedscape/WebMD; Pfizer; CRH Medical Corporation; Aries

EquityCRH Medical Corporation

Editorial boardsMedscape Gastroenterology

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Gastroenterology Research Institute Board of Directors