New Report Links OTC Painkillers to Heart Disease

Millions of men and women take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as aspirin and ibuprofen on a regular basis. NSAIDs are commonly used to treat mild pain and inflammation, offering fast, short-term relief. But you may want to think twice before popping another NSAID, as there's new evidence suggesting it could increase the risk of heart disease.

According to a new study, taking NSAIDs increases the risk of a heart attack by 20 to 50% when compared to someone who doesn't take the drugs.

For the study, researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center analyzed data from several Canadian and European studies, looking at the correlation between heart attack and NSAID usage. In total, nearly half a million men and women were analyzed as part of this study, roughly 61,000 of whom had experienced a heart attack.

Researchers cite data from the World Health Organization (WHO), saying that 80% of all cardiovascular-related deaths are associated with heart attack and stroke. In the U.S. alone, some 735,000 men and women have a heart attack each year. In the U.K., more than 200,000 men and women are taken to hospitals for heart attack treatment.

What's even more alarming, however, is that researchers found an increased risk of heart disease when higher dosages of certain NSAIDs were taken. When 1200 milligrams or more of the NSAID naproxen was taken, for instance, there was a 75% increased risk of a heart attack within one month.

"We found that all common NSAIDs shared a heightened risk of heart attack," said Dr. Michèle Bally, an epidemiologist at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center, and one of the study's lead researchers and authors.. "There is a perception that naproxen has the lowest cardiovascular risk (among the NSAIDs), but that's not true."

Common NSAIDs include ibuprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib and naproxen.

So, what should you take away from this study? Well, this is just one study suggesting that NSAIDs may increase the risk of heart disease. That doesn't necessarily mean that you should stop using them altogether, however, as NSAIDS -- like other drugs -- have real medicinal value when used correctly. The key thing to remember, however, is that NSAIDs should be used as a temporary, not permanent, solution to pain and adverse symptoms.

This study was published in the British Medical Journal.