NSAID Risk Seen for Heart Patients

A new study finds that taking one type of pain reliever long-term may be risky for people with high blood pressure and heart disease. The study focused on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Some of the most popular over-the-counter pain relievers are NSAIDs. They include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn and others). The group also includes a prescription medicine, celecoxib (Celebrex). The study focused on 882 people who took NSAIDs regularly. They were compared with almost 22,000 people who used these drugs from time to time or never. Everyone in the study had coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Researchers kept track of them for about 3 years. In that time, the rate of death, heart attack and stroke was 47% higher in regular NSAIDs than in those who used the drugs less or not at all.