In a recent prospective cohort study of 800 hospitalized patients in Japan, those who were on proton pump inhibitor medications (PPI’s) were more than 3 times as likely to Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) than those who were not on PPI’s.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ICAAC/28584
According the Mayo Clinic, C. difficile infections have become more frequent, more severe, and more difficult to treat in recent years. Each year, tens of thousands of Americans become sick with this illness, and some occur in otherwise healthy who are not hospitalized or taking antibiotics.
While a healthy intestinal flora usually protects the gut from infection with this pathogenic bacteria, it was well-known that infections can occur after antibiotic use, which wipes out the beneficial bacteria. The acid in the stomach is another defense mechanism many bacteria cannot survive long enough to reach the intestines. PPI’s method of action is to inhibit acid secretion.
According to Takatoshi Kitazawa, MD, of Teiko University in Tokyo and who is associated with the study, the clinical take home message is, “don’t use PPI’s so much.”
How is that PPI’s have become a first line treatment for chronic reflux and heartburn? With so much scientific research supporting the use of probiotic strains of bacteria to prevent gastrointestinal disturbances, doesn’t it make more sense to first encourage a good balance of beneficial bacteria as an essential part of digestion?
