Paul Tassin  |  May 26, 2016

Category: Legal News

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Nexium Prilosec Kidney FailureThose who treat chronic heartburn with drugs like Prilosec and Nexium could be at risk for developing kidney failure, according to a recent study.

The study was published online in April 2016 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The focus of the study was a group of heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs – the group that includes Prilosec and Nexium, and their impact on kidney problems.

Researchers reviewed the records of thousands of patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. Some of those patients had been prescribed a PPI, and others had been prescribed H2 blockers, a different type of antacid medication.

The researchers concluded that PPI users were more likely than H2 blocker users to develop chronic kidney disease or kidney failure over a five-year period. The PPI users in the group developed chronic kidney disease at a rate of 15 percent, compared to 11 percent in the H2 blocker group.

Not many of the study subjects ended up developing end-stage kidney failure, but of those who did, PPI users developed it twice as frequently as H2 blocker users.

The researchers also noted the odds of kidney failure increased the longer the patients used PPIs. Patients who had used PPIs for one to two years were three times as likely to develop kidney failure as patients who had used them for a month or less.

Consequences of Chronic Kidney Failure

In chronic kidney failure, the kidneys cannot adequately filter metabolic waste products out of the blood. The results can be damaging throughout the rest of the body.

Kidney failure symptoms may start with simple changes in urination and progress to include fatigue, anemia, heart failure, gout, or damage to muscles and nerves. More extreme cases of kidney failure may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Scientists aren’t sure what could be at the bottom of the link between PPIs and kidney problems. One theory is that the way PPIs suppress stomach acids could reduce the body’s ability to absorb magnesium or other nutrients.

Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, one of the VA researchers and the author of the study, cautioned that the results of this study don’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship between PPIs and kidney problems.

He also noted that certain other factors could have bearing on the results, factors the study was unable to control for.

But Dr. Al-Aly concluded that the results support the idea that PPIs aren’t suitable for casual treatment of passing symptoms. He recommends that patients use PPIs only when medically necessary and for as short a time as possible.

Other doctors agree that PPIs like Prilosec and Nexium are not suitable for ordinary heartburn. They recommend patients use these medications to treat only diagnosable conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

Because these drugs are so effective at suppressing stomach acid, doctors also recommend their use to give conditions like ulcers or inflammation a chance to heal.

In addition to kidney problems, chronic use of PPIs have also been connected to other problems like nutrition deficiency, bone loss, and a small increase in the risk of heart attack.

Other research has also linked these drugs to acute (as opposed to chronic) kidney problems.

If you or a loved one has taken heartburn medication like Nexium or Prilosec and suffered from kidney complications, a consultation with a specialized attorney is free and confidential and can assist you in exploring your legal options.

In general, acid reflux medication lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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