Painkillers increase risk of relapse for heart attack victims

USING some painkillers even for a short period could be dangerous to people who have suffered a heart attack, research suggests.

The study looked at the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which includes medicines such as ibuprofen, in Danish patients who had suffered a heart attack.

They found that use of NSAIDs was associated with a 45 per cent increased risk of death or suffering another heart attack within as little as one week of treatment.

There was also a 55 per cent increased risk in patients whose treatment with the drugs lasted for three months, according to the study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In 2007, medics warned doctors about the potential risks of using NSAIDs in patients with heart problems. Anne-Marie Schjerning Olsen, lead researcher from Copenhagen University, said that "a very conservative approach to use NSAIDs in patients with prior heart attack is warranted".

The study looked at almost 84,000 heart attack survivors, of whom 42 per cent had at least one prescription for an NSAID.The most commonly prescribed drug was ibuprofen (23 per cent), followed by diclofenac (13 per cent).

All NSAIDs were linked with an increased risk of death or another heart attack, with diclofenac having the greatest risk.

"Overall, NSAID treatment was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of death," Dr Olsen said. "Our results show there is no apparent safe therapeutic window for NSAIDs in patients with prior heart attack."

The researchers said low-dose ibuprofen was the only available over-the-counter NSAID in Denmark and was only given in limited quantities. So over-the-counter use of NSAIDs was unlikely to have had a major effect on the study's results, they said.

Dr Mike Knapton, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study suggests even short-term use may carry significant risk in patients who've had a heart attack."