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" Heartburn Drugs May Increase Fracture Risk

Source: United Press International

Publication date: 2006-12-27

A study by Pennsylvania researchers has shown that elderly people

who take heartburn drugs are more likely to fracture their hips.

The medicines found to increase the risk of fractures include

Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid and Protonix, the Los Angeles Times

reported.

The drugs are some of the most widely used heartburn stoppers in the

United States, with combined annual sales of more than $10 billion,

the newspaper said.

The perception is that the drugs are completely safe, and doctors

dispense them without thinking too much about the risks and the

benefits, said Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang of the University of Pennsylvania

School of Medicine.

Yang led the study, which was published in the Journal of the

American Medical Association.

Yang said physicians who prescribe the drugs should know the risks,

prescribe the lowest possible dose and only use the drugs when they

are really needed.

Publication date: 2006-12-27

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