Originally published June 23 2005
British study finds NSAIDs linked to increased risk of heart attack
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to a Newsday article, British researchers have found that patients switching from COX-2 inhibitors to NSAIDs such as ibuprofen ran a 24 to 55 percent increased risk of having a first-time heart attack.
Widely used painkillers may carry a significant risk of heart attack, according to a British analysis that raises questions about the safety of ibuprofen and other drugs in its class.
The drug family is known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, prescribed for pain and inflammation.
More arthritis patients recently began taking NSAIDS after fleeing related medications -- COX-2 inhibitors -- because of their link to heart attack and strokes.
Now, researchers in Britain have found a 24 percent increased risk for a first heart attack among people taking ibuprofen and a 55 percent elevated risk among those taking the prescription NSAID diclofenac.
The research also confirmed earlier U.S. studies about the risks of COX-2 inhibitors, showing a 21 percent increased risk for a first heart attack among patients on Celebrex and a 32 percent increased risk for those taking Vioxx.
Naproxen, an NSAID sold as Aleve, showed a slight increase in heart-attack risk, but the data was not clinically significant, researchers said.
"We think that enough concerns exist to warrant a reconsideration of the cardiovascular safety of all NSAIDs," said Julia Hippisley-Cox, lead investigator of the British study and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Nottingham.
Arthur Levin, director of the Center for Medical Consumers in Manhattan, said NSAIDs run the gamut from those that act chemically more like aspirin to those that act more like COX-2 inhibitors.
Swiss medical experts who critiqued the study found flaws, noting the results should be interpreted with caution.
"The quality of the data on cardiovascular risk factors and other potential confounders was poor."
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials advised consumers to read information about the medications on its Web site, which indicates that preliminary studies on some NSAIDS show there may be safety concerns.
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