Kidney transplant recipients who use proton pump inhibitors may experience increased fatigue and a reduced health-related quality of life, according to recently published data.
“The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can adversely affect gut microbiota and gastrointestinal uptake of micronutrients,” Tim J. Knobbe, MD, of the nephrology division at the University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein, and colleagues wrote in the study.
Researchers led a cross-sectional trial with 937 patients who were 1-year post-transplant and enrolled in the TransplantLines Biobank and Cohort Study to assess PPI use, PPI type, dosage and duration of use.
Fatigue and health quality of life (HRQoL) were measured using validated questionnaires and investigators used linear regression analyses to examine data, adjusting for confounders such as age and medication history.
Findings showed that PPI use was associated with fatigue severity, a higher risk of severe fatigue, lower physical HRQoL and lower mental HRQoL. Recipients using PPIs reported lower physical and mental HRQoL compared to those not using PPIs.
“These associations were independent of potential confounders including age, time since transplantation, history of upper gastrointestinal disease, antiplatelet therapy and the total number of medications,” the authors wrote.
Further research may address residual confounding and inability to assess causal relationships, according to the researchers. “While we await future studies on this topic, proton pump inhibitor use might be an easily accessible target for alleviating fatigue and improving health-related quality of life among kidney transplant recipients,” they wrote.
https://www.healio.com/news/nephrology/20230817/proton-pump-inhibitor-ppi-use-may-be-linked-to-fatigue-lower-quality-of-lifepoor-outcomes-in-after-k