Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Bed to Bench

Abstract

Aim:  The goal of the present study was to assess the effect of omeprazole on bone mineral density and frequency of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Background: The effect of omeprazole on bone turnover and the role of stomach pH alteration in calcium absorption have not been completely understood.

Patients and methods: In a case-control study, 58 patients who were referred to Loghman hospital, Tehran, for bone densitometry between July 2005 and July 2006 and were administered omeprazole (20 mg/12hours for at least one month) were entered into the study. The control group comprised 239 matched (for gender, age, weight, history of cigarette smoking, history of milk or egg consumption within the week preceding the study) patients who were not administered Omeprazole. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the lumbar spine (LS) (L2-L4, anterior- posterior position) and hip using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with a Lunar Prodigy densitometer.

Results: The mean T-score of lumbar spine was not significantly different between patients who received omeprazole and controls (-0.802±1.38 versus -0.808±1.56, P=0.977). Also, mean T-score of hip was similar between patients who received this drug and control group (-0.431±1.050 versus -0.245±1.18, P=0.241). There were also no significant relationships between the consumption of omeprazole and prevalence of osteopenia or osteoporosis.

Conclusion: Short-term administration of omeprazole has no significant influence on bone density and does not increase the incidence of osteopenia and osteoporosis.