Proton pump inhibitors have an adverse effect on vascular functions and increase heart attack risk, according to a study published in PLOS One.
Using data mining, researchers queried over 16 million clinical documents on 2.9 million individuals to examine whether PPI usage was associated with cardiovascular risk in the general population.
They found patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease who were exposed to PPIs were 16 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who didn't use PPIs. The researchers also noted a two-fold increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality in PPI users.
"These data provide an example of how a combination of experimental studies and data-mining approaches can be applied to prioritize drug safety signals for further investigation," wrote the study authors.
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