The massive data analysis reveals a new link between a popular arthritis drug and calcification of heart valves

A well-known four-year study found that Celebrex, a popular arthritis drug, was no more dangerous to the heart than older drugs in the same category, commonly referred to as NSAIDs. At present, a large data badysis of patient records from Vanderbilt University has revealed a specific link between Celebrex and calcification of heart valves.

W. David Merryman, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Ph.D. student Megan Bowler began by testing Celecoxib, the active ingredient in Celebrex, on valve cells to determine if it could also be used as a treatment of aortic stenosis. This has aggravated the problem.

To confirm his theory on the connection between celecoxib and valvular calcification, Merryman, also a professor of pharmacology, medicine and pediatrics at Vanderbilt, recruited Michael Raddatz, who holds a PhD / PhD. student, to badyze more than 8,600 anonymous and relevant patient records from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Raddatz verified whether there was a link between the use of Celebrex and the aortic valve disease and, after correction for other risk factors, had discovered that the prevalence of this disease was increased 20% in patients taking Celebrex.

The results of the team appear today, namely the National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Basic science to translation.

The 2016 New England Journal of Medicine A study that found that Celebrex was no more harmful than naproxen and that ibuprofen was only concerned with cardiovascular death and non-fatal heart attacks or fatalities, and not with valvulopathies, which affects more than a quarter of patients. American population over 65 years old.

"In this study, we add a long-term perspective on the use of celecoxib," said Bowler, who recently obtained his PhD. "The calcification of the aortic valve can take several years, so if you are at a higher risk, you may want to consider taking another treatment for pain or rheumatoid arthritis."

In the same study, Bowler and Merryman discovered that dimethyl celecoxib – an inactive form of celecoxib – could potentially slow down or stop aortic stenosis. Merryman has announced plans to continue testing dimethyl celecoxib for its beneficial effects on heart valve health.