There is a warning tonight about people who use acid blocking medicines.
They are at risk for getting pneumonia.
More than a quarter of the population gets symptoms such as heartburn. Many are on acid reducing medicines. But because they block stomach acid, researchers say they allow bacteria to grow, which can then infect the lungs and cause pneumonia.

People who use acid blocking medicines are at risk for getting pneumonia, says latest research.

More than a quarter of the population, in New York, New Jersey and the rest of the country, gets symptoms such as heartburn. Many are on acid reducing medicines. But because they block stomach acid, researchers say they allow bacteria to grow, which can then infect the lungs and cause pneumonia.

The latest research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that current use of acid blockers is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia in the general population. The bacteria which can grow in the stomach, can reflux back into the food pipe, up to the mouth area, and go back down into the airway, and grow in the lungs, creating pneumonia.

The proton pump inhibitors--drugs like prilosec--were associated with nearly a 90 percent increased risk over those who are no longer using them. Overall, the more the drugs were used, the greater the risk.

Dr. Brian Carlin, a lung specialist at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, says, “It’s a new twist because we sort of suspected a lot of this in our intensive care unit patients in the hospital they had a higher incidence of pneumonia if they are on a lot of stomach acid suppressants. So it’s kind of interesting to see that people who take acid blockers at home are now prone to developing pneumonia as well.”

Some argue the risk is the same in magnitude as the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding from anti-inflammatory medicines. This risk is probably most significant for at risk patients, such as those with asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis, those with immune problems and especially the elderly. The researchers point out that those over sixty have diminished acid secretion, and so these individuals should probably only use the medicines at the lowest dose possible and only when necessary. “Talk to your doctor about what you have ask a lot of questions about why you are on the medicine and what the side effects are,” states Dr. Carlin.

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