Allergies May Be Triggered by Stomach-protecting Drugs

Gastric acid inhibitors reduce the production of gastric acid, relieve heartburn and promote healing of any damaged gastric mucosa. They are frequently prescribed in support of drug therapies, to prevent stomach problems or to counteract bloating. They are often the drug of choice for stress responses leading to reflux (heartburn). In 2013, health insurers in Austria paid for prescriptions for at least one pack of PPIs for 1,540,505 people. A country-wide study conducted by MedUni Vienna has now found a correlation between taking stomach protectors, especially from the family of proton pump inhibitors, and the subsequent prescription of anti-allergy drugs. The study analysed prescriptions of anti-allergy medication (antihistamines, allergen immunotherapies) to people who had previously had prescriptions for stomach protectors from the years 2009 to 2013. The data for this quantitative study were primarily provided by all the Austrian Social Insurance Institutions. The correlation was striking, explains first author Galateja Jordakieva: "People who take stomach-protecting medication such as PPIs double or even triple their risk of developing allergic symptoms that require treatment." https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/allergies-may-be-triggered-by-stomach-protecting-drugs-322291?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=75200652&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8aPC1dWdz6ksP4OPnsPMlY4xIBF0WQXQnzY0QJPyLrXTVFTGIz96xxSSaJ8vCuHM_VQTnU1eLNIuOUDs40Z4n8cYAjEA&_hsmi=75200652