That was the finding of a new study carried out by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study, which was published in the journal Kidney International, discovered that the problem was quite widespread, with more than half of the 125,000 patients taking PPIs developing chronic kidney disease despite not having any signs of acute kidney problems.

PPIs, or proton pump inhibitors, are a category of drugs that are among the most commonly prescribed for dealing with acid reflux and heartburn. Some of the brand names you might know them by include Prevacid, Nexium, and Losec.

There is an especially worrying component to the issue. Normally, chronic kidney disease is preceded by a sort of "flash flood" warning in the form of acute kidney injury.