Patients who used proton pump inhibitors, drugs used mostly to lower stomach acid production, were more likely to acquire C. diff infections, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Out of more than 1,000 patients surveyed, two-thirds had used antibiotics in the last three months, and more than one-quarter reported using proton pump inhibitors recently. Use of proton pump inhibitors was more common among those who had not used antibiotics recently.
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Researchers concluded that while most C. diff infection prevention happens through reduced antibiotic use and better outpatient infection control practices, curtailing proton pump inhibitor usage could reduce C diff infections somewhat, by about 11 percent.
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