Ibuprofen --- the widely-used painkiller included on the World Health Organization's "Model List of Essential Medicines" considered necessary to meet the minimum needs of basic healthcare systems --- may lead to heart problems, new research has found.
A team of scientists from the University of Oxford announced last week that Ibuprofen and Diclofenac, commonly referred to as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, and used by millions the world over to control chronic pain, appear to increase the chances of heart attack when taken in high doses over an extended period of time.
Over-the-counter doses of NSAIDs are typically lower and generally recommended for pain management over short periods, though chronic sufferers are often prescribed ongoing use of the drugs for headaches and other symptoms involving areas of the back, knee, hip or neck pain, or chronic headaches.
Earlier research linked the drugs to a risk of serious gastrointestinal problems ---- which prompted drug companies to develop coxibs, a new generation of NSAIDs designed to reduce those gastrointestinal complications, but then drew scrutiny themselves for increasing the risk of heart attacks.
The new study, published in the journal Lancet, detyermined that high doses of coxibs, as well as older-generation NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil) or diclofenac (Voltaren,) were associated with heart disease.
For every 1,000 individuals that showed a moderately-elevated risk of heart disease linked to one year of treatment with high-dose diclofenac or ibuprofen, "about three would experience an avoidable heart attack of which one would be fatal," said a press statement accompanying the study. "In addition, all NSAIDs double the risk of heart failure and produce a 2-4 times increased risk of serious upper gastrointestinal complications such as bleeding ulcers."
A High daily dosege of diclofenac is indicated as 150 milligrams, while that for ibuprofen is about 2,400 milligrams per day.
The study authors analyzed the data of 353,000 patients gathered in 639 trials and found the increased heart attack risk from NSAIDs rose in proportion to a patient's pre-existing risk, so it was highest in those with a previous history of heart disease, high blood pressure or cholesterol.
In a comment on the study, British Pharmacological Society member Donald Singer said the findings underscored a key point: "Powerful drugs may have serious harmful effects...it is therefore important for prescribers to take into account these risks and ensure patients are fully informed about the medicines they are taking."