An increasing number of studies show that antacid medications increase the chances of Clostridium difficile infection, a painful bacterium that has plagued Nanaimo Regional General Hospital since a deadly 2008 outbreak.
Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney brought attention to the issue yesterday when he called on Health Canada regulators to tighten controls on what he calls "over-prescribed" proton pump inhibitors, which are widely used in hospitals to suppress stomach acids, but may leave a patient more vulnerable to C. difficile.
Patients receiving PPI medication were 53% to 74% more likely to be infected with C. difficile than those patients who did not receive treatment, according to articles published in the May 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
A particularly virulent strain of C. difficile has embedded itself in hospitals across Canada in recent years.
More commonly referred to as the Montreal strain, it has proven difficult to eradicate, but much of its spread and its related death toll could be prevented, if patients were made aware of the risks when doctors prescribe PPI medication, said Lunney.
Vancouver Island Health Authority officials rejected Lunney's previous concerns when he raised the issue in 2009. Medical director Pamela Kibsey said, at the time, there has been no "reproducible" evidence demonstrating that PPIs increase C. difficile "severity."
Lunney said he has run into roadblocks as he has tried to raise the issue with officials at both his local health authority and Health Canada. Vancouver Island Health Authority did not return requests for an interview, but officials said PPIs are a concern.