A new study performed by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has found that children who take acid-reducing medications, could have a significantly greater risk of developing Clostridium difficile infection.

According to the study, the researchers found that 2.6 percent (17 of 650) of the children diagnosed with C. diff. infection had used PPIs/H2RAs within 90 days, compared with just 0.3 percent (8 of 3,200) of the controls. They analysed that the use of acid-reducing drugs resulted in a seven-fold increase in risk for infection with C. diff. The effect was stronger for PPIs, which are more powerful than H2RAs. The studies have shown that use of medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may contribute to C. diff. infection in adults.
 
The researchers suggest not to prescribe the acid reducing medications for children as they do more harm than good by altering gastrointestinal microbiome.

By Lizitha