Common Painkillers may Raise Odds of Heart DiseaseThursday, March 16, 2017
Denmark, March 16 -- A new study has set off alarming bells against the use of popular painkillers like ibuprofen and diclofenac, which are a part of a group of painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as they can increase the risk of heart attack. The drugs are being used by majority of people all over the world. For the study, the researchers collected the data on 28,947 patients in Denmark who had suffered a cardiac arrest between 2001 and 2010. Out of the total number of patients, 3,376 were treated with NSAID for about 30 days. Ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most commonly used painkillers accounting for 51 per cent and 22 per cent of total NSAID use respectively. The findings of the study revealed that ibuprofen raised the risk of cardiac arrest by 31 percent, while diclofenac increased the risk by 50 percent. The findings of the study were published in the European Heart Journal.