Despite being highly effective and beneficial for many patients, unexpected consequences are emerging in patients who are prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for reflux diseases. Physicians are warned to monitor these effects and prescribe these medications carefully, according to a new commentary published in the November 2009 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
According to the authors, gastroesophageal reflux(GERD) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) are diseases that have undergone a remarkable growth in public health relevance over the last 20 years. While it has been known historically that more than 50 percent of adults in Western countries have occasional symptoms of reflux, there has been a more than four-fold increase in how many patients seek medical care for their symptoms.
PPIs are a class of important and generally safe medicines that prevent the release of stomach acid, which is one cause of the burning sensation many reflux patients experience. PPIs are among the most widely prescribed classes of medications for GERD and LPR diseases. But according to the authors, there is a growing body of literature demonstrating that acid is not the only causal agent of tissue damage in reflux disease, and that PPIs are not effective at treating all cases of GERD and LPR.