Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

« Back to Farmacia Journal 2/2016

PROLONGED USE OF PROTON POMP INHIBITORS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS

ANNA MARIE HERGHELEGIU, GABRIEL IOAN PRADA*, RALUCA NACU

“Ana Aslan” National Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology, 9 Cǎldǎrușani Str., Sector 1, Bucharest, Romania

Download Full Article PDF

Dementia is an irreversible severe impairment of cognitive function associated with age, which ultimately leads to loss of independence and disability. Recent interest has been placed on potential pathological links between proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and the neuropathology of dementia. This study evaluates the relationship between long term use of PPIs (more than > 6 months/year and more than > 3 consecutive years) and cognitive function in a sample of 74 subjects, 65 years of age and older. The control group included an equal number of age-matched subjects. Patients in the study group had significantly lower Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (p = 0.004) and Clock Drawing Test (CDT) (p = 0.02) scores compared to age matched controls. Prolonged utilization of PPIs resulted in a significant increase of dementia risk after controlling for diabetes and hypertension in midlife (OR = 3.67; 95% CI; p = 0.002).