In Reply We greatly appreciate the comments from Sugiyama on our study1 evaluating the association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and risk of fracture in children. We agree that the results need to be interpreted carefully and that additional research is needed.
Sugiyama points to previous studies and to some of our results to question the possibility of a causal association. First, we would like to underline that causality has not been claimed. Our main finding was a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.11 (95% CI, 1.06-1.15) for the association between PPI use and risk of any fracture in this pediatric cohort. The small relative risk increase definitively warrants careful interpretation of the data and any implications for clinical practice.