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Indigestion drugs linked to hip fracture after menopause
February 01, 2012
A study has found that PPI therapy increases the risk of postmenopausal hip fractures.
A group of indigestion drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been shown to increase the risk of hip fractures among postmenopausal women.
US researchers found that older women were 35 per cent more likely to suffer a hip fracture if they used the drugs, and 50 per cent more likely if they were smokers or had smoked in the past.
The drugs block the absorption of calcium, which is required for healthy bones.
However, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital noted that the elevated risk of hip fracture returns to normal levels within two years of stopping PPI therapy.
A spokesman for the British Menopause Society said that the study - which is published in the British Medical Journal - confirmed experts' suspicions that PPIs increase the risk of hip fracture.
But Dr John Stevenson noted: "The absolute risk is small, with the drugs causing an additional five hip fractures per 10,000 women per year.
"Women should not be put off using proton pump inhibitors if they are needed, but these results provide yet another reason not to smoke."
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