Numerous patients across the country have reportedly developed serious kidney problems after taking certain popular heartburn medications.

More specifically, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec have been allegedly inducing kidney failure in unsuspecting patients looking for a simple heartburn treatment.

The problem of Prilosec kidney side effects has been steadily gaining attention as the number of injury reports continue to rise.

Approximately 15 million Americans use Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors to lower their heartburn symptoms, with the medications working well for most patients.

However Prilosec kidney side effects have become a rising concern for the public and medical community. In late 2014, the FDA approved a warning for Nexium’s label that included interstitial nephritis as a possible side effect.

This condition often leads to to kidney failure, leading many to speculate the chances of Prilosec kidney side effects are also a significant risk.

Overview of Prilosec Kidney Side Effects

According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors may induce serious kidney damage.

This study was meant to assess the safety of these popular medications and collected its numbers from the Department of Veterans Affairs national databases. The researchers identified over 170,000 new PPI users, and compared them to over 20,000 new H2 receptor blocker users.

Different than PPIs, H2 receptor blockers are alternative medications for heartburn treatment without the negative correlation of kidney failure.

After five years of follow up, the results of the study showed that 15% of patients using PPIs were diagnosed with kidney disease while only 11% occurred in the H2 blocker patients.

After accounting for other control factors including age and other outstanding health issues, the results were adjusted to show a 28% increased of kidney disease when using proton pump inhibitors. While only 0.2% of the patients in the study had developed severe end stage kidney failure, the overall risk was higher by 96% for PPI patients.

In a similar research inquiry, Johns Hopkins University also found similar results when patients used proton pump inhibitors.

These findings were published this year in JAMA internal medicine, further showing the medical community that proton pump inhibitors could lead to permanent damage for patients.

The results of both of these studies indicate a correlation, but do not define a cause and effect relationship. In addition, the authors of the study indicate that other outside factors may have affected the results.

However the author Dr. Zuyad Al-Aly of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System stated that patients should only use PPIs if necessary, and should definitely limit their exposure to the minimum requirements of their medical condition.

Even though Nexium just recently updated its label to include possible kidney problems, the manufacturing company may have known for years.

Patients suffering from Prilosec kidney side effects may be eligible to file legal action against the manufacturing company, and should contact a specialized lawyer.