Commonly used prescription painkillers have been linked to an increased risk of heart failure, a new study out this week has revealed.
A team of researchers in Italy examined the risk and dose-response relation associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and COX-2 inhibitors after previous studies demonstrated an association between their use and heart failure.
Led by Giovanni Corrao at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, the observational study examined figures from almost 10 million NSAIDs users from the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and the UK.
A total of 27 individual NSAIDs, including 23 traditional NSAIDs and four selective COX 2 inhibitors, were included in the analysis. 92,163 hospital admissions for heart failure were identified and matched with 8,246,403 control patients.
Writing in the BMJ, the researchers say they found that compared with past use, current use of any NSAID was linked to a raised risk of hospital admission for heart failure.
After taking account of potentially influential factors, risk of admission for heart failure increased for seven commonly used NSAIDs – diclofenac, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketorolac, naproxen, nimesulide, and piroxicam – and two COX 2 inhibitors, etoricoxib and rofecoxib.
The researchers found that at very high doses, risk of admission for heart failure doubled for some NSAIDs.
Although it was an observational study, the authors say their study “offers further evidence that the most frequently used individual traditional NSAIDs and selective COX 2 inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of hospital admission for heart failure. Moreover, the risk seems to vary between drugs and according to the dose”.
They conclude: “Because any potential increased risk could have a considerable impact on public health, the risk effect estimates provided by this study may help inform both clinical practices and regulatory activities.”
Arfè A, Scotti L, Varas-Lorenzo C et al. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of heart failure in four European countries: nested case-control study.BMJ 29 September 2016; doi:10.1136/bmj.i4857 [abstract]
Leave a Reply