Gastritis medications can increase your risk of fracture

According to a National Institutes of Health-funded study published online in the BMJ, "postmenopausal women who use proton pump inhibitors (medicines such as omeprazole, pantoprozole nexium etc) regularly are at increased risk for hip fracture, particularly if they have ever smoked. This is of concern especially in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates where people buy and use these gastritis medications over the counter.  In addition, women here have high levels of vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis. " In fact, "the risk of hip fracture was increased by 35% among women who used these drugs for at least two years, compared with women who never used them (age-adjusted HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.62, P<0.01 for trend)." What's more, "the risk for fracture rose by more than 50% among women with a history of smoking (multivariate HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.91)," the study found.         For the study, researchers "collected data on almost 80,000 postmenopausal women. "Over the course of eight years, from 2000 to 2008, almost 900 hip fractures occurred -- a 35 percent increased risk for women using PPIs compared to women who didn't take the drugs.