PPIs are back on our radar, and this time it’s their regular use among postmenopausal women.

A BMJ article examines data from the Nurses’ Health Study to show a significantly increased risk for hip fracture among postmenopausal women with any smoking history. Never-smokers showed no statistically significant increase.

Now that proton pump inhibitors have been available over-the-counter for the better part of a decade, should clinicians be asking about their patients’ smoking history in concert with asking about how they handle heartburn?

Links:

BMJ article (free)

Physician’s First Watch summary (free)

FDA’s May 2010 warning on PPIs and fracture risks (free)