Risk of heart attack linked to some anti-inflammatory drugs

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory painkillers might be linked to an increased risk of heart attack, according to a new study.
Previous work has suggested that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could be a risk factor for a heart attack. Now, in the biggest study of its kind, a team at the University of Nottingham, England, underlines this link.

They looked at a group of 9,218 patients who had suffered a first heart attack and checked their prescribing patterns. Those who had been prescribed NSAIDs in the three months before their heart attack had an increased risk compared to those who had not taken these drugs in the previous three years. For ibuprofen, the risk rose by 24 per cent and for diclofenac it rose by 55 per cent.

The newer generation of anti-inflammatories, the COX-2 inhibitors, were also linked with increased rates of first time heart attack. Celecoxib was linked to a 21 per cent higher risk, rofecoxib to a 32 per cent increased risk (the latter has already been withdrawn precisely because of such concerns). The findings do not mean patients should stop taking NSAIDs but the link with heart attack is a cause for concern, because so many people take these drugs. Further investigation is clearly warranted.

Source
British Medical Journal 11th June 2005 Volume 330 pages 1366-1369