Urgent NSAID warning for heart attack survivors

If you or a loved-one have ever had a heart attack, take note of this urgent warning: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase your risk of a second heart attack.

This comes hot on the heels of another recent study I told you about that found NSAID use appears to increase stroke risk.

In the new study, researchers in Denmark examined data on more than 83,000 heart attack survivors who were mostly seniors and mostly males.

Results: NSAID use was linked to a 45 percent increase in the risk of death or recurrent heart attack within just one week of beginning use. This risk increased to 55 percent when NSAID treatment lasted more than three months.

These results covered all types of NSAIDs, from simple ibuprofen to COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex. The only NSAID not linked to increased risk was Aleve.

Source:
“Short term use of painkillers could be dangerous to heart patients” American Heart Association press release, 5/9/11, eurekalert.org