Common Pain Relief Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Problems

The researchers found that diclofenac is associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes.

Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain and is widely used around the world.

The research team, led by Dr. Morten Schmidt of the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, examined the start of the use of the drug compared to no other anti-inflammatory drug. steroidal.

They used an open registry of more than 6.3 million adults in Denmark, with patients divided into two categories: low, medium and high cardiovascular risk. The average age of participants was 46-49 years for those starting NSAIDs and 56 years for those starting paracetamol.

Potential influencing factors were taken into account and the researchers found that the onset of diclofenac during the study period (1996-2016) resulted in an increase in the number of adverse cardiovascular events. major in 30 days. paracetamol.

Side effects included irregular heartbeat or cardiac flutter, heart failure, ischemic stroke, and heart attack. These risks apply to both men and women of all ages and even to low doses of diclofenac.

The onset of the use of diclofenac was also associated with an increase in cardiac death rate compared to the absence of NSAIDs and an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding compared with non-use of NSAIDs. This has not been identified with the use of naproxen.

The researchers concluded that diclofenac should not be available over-the-counter, but that it should be prescribed by a doctor, with warning labels on the package to make sure that patients are aware of the risk before starting to take the medicine.

The authors mention that, although the relative risk has increased, the absolute risk remains low for each patient.

The study was published in The British Medical Journal.