NSAIDs associated with increased risk of stroke

January 01, 0001

NSAIDs associated with increased risk of stroke

The aim of this retrospective cohort study of 162,065 Australian veterans with incident dispensing of an NSAID between January 2001 and December 2008 by researchers from Australia was to determine the risk of stroke associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use.

The absolute risk of stroke was low at 7.1/1000 people/year. Incident use of NSAIDs was associated with a 1.88 times increased risk of hospitalisation for stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic) following first ever dispensing of an NSAID. This equates to an increased absolute risk of 13.4 strokes/1000 people/year. Significant positive associations between starting an NSAID and having a hospitalisation for stroke were found for most NSAIDs, with adjusted sequence ratios ranging from 1.44 for indomethacin to 1.80 for rofecoxib.

The researchers concluded: "Incident use of NSAIDs was associated with an increased risk of stroke. Increased awareness of the potential for serious adverse cardiovascular events, together with individual assessment of cardiovascular risk, careful deliberation of the balance between risk and benefits and appropriate supervision, is required when initiating NSAID therapy."

This is over and above the related heart problems.


For the full abstract, click here.

MJA 195(9):525-529, 7 November 2011 © 2011 to The Medical Journal of Australia
Stroke risk and NSAIDs: an Australian population- based study. Gillian E Caughey, Elizabeth E Roughead, Nicole Pratt, Graeme Killer and Andrew L Gilbert. Correspondence to Gillian Caughey: gillian.caughey@unisa.edu.au

Category: N. Neurological. Keywords: NSAIDs, stroke, risk, retrospective cohort population- based study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Stephen Wilkinson, Melbourne, Australia. Posted on Global Family Doctor 25 November 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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