-August 02, 2006
A recent study suggests that a common class of painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, slightly increase the risk of heart attack.
Popular NSAIDs include selective COX-2 inhibitors like celecoxib as well as non-selective painkillers such as naproxen and ibuprofen.
Researchers in Finland examined the data of more than 33,000 patients who were admitted to the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register for heart attacks between 2000 and 2003. The data from these patients was then compared to nearly 140,000 control subjects.
The findings showed that NSAID use of any type – selective or non-selective – increased the risk of heart attack by 40 percent. According to the researchers, that risk is fairly small and tended to decline after discontinued use.
Even so, they concluded, “any risk of serious adverse events is important at the population level if a drug is not life-saving and is widely used, as is the case with NSAIDs.”
The study was the largest population-based study yet conducted on NSAIDs. Researchers agree that more research needs to be conducted in order to fully understand the associated risks of NSAID use.
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