PROTON-PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIs) that are used to treat acid reflux have been associated with an increased risk for pneumonia, according to a recent study. Researchers analyzed 63,878 admissions to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston between 2004 and 2007, and all patients studied were adults who were hospitalized for three days or more and had not been in intensive care. PPIs were ordered for a little more than half the patients. Among those who received PPIs, 4.9% developed pneumonia in the hospital, compared with 2% of those who were not given acid-suppressive drugs. The researchers adjusted for the fact that those who received the drugs may have been sicker to begin with, and determined that those who took PPIs, such as esomeprazole (Nexium), omeprazole (Prilosec), and lansoprazole (Prevacid), had a 30% increase in pneumonia risk. No increased pneumonia risk was found in histamine-2 receptor agonists, such as famotidine (Pepcid) and ranitidine hydrochloride (Zantac).

Rabin RC. Some Acid-Reflux Drugs Tied to Pneumonia. The New York Times.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/health/27drugs.html?ref=health. Published May 26, 2009. Accessed June 10, 2009.