It's that time of year when everything is in bloom. Consequently, I seem to be living on painkillers like ibuprofen in an effort to control the sinus headache that just won't go away. So I was a little disturbed to hear that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), of which ibuprofen is one, are associated with an increased risk of first hospital admission for heart failure, especially among those over the age of 60.

The findings are based on data from the General Practice Research Database, which holds the anonymous medical records of millions of patients registered with family doctors across the United Kingdom. Of patients admitted to the hospital for first time for heart failure, 14 percent were taking NSAIDs at the time of admission, compared to 10 percent of randomly selected individuals.

The authors of the research, published in the journal "Heart", point out that the figures suggest there would be one extra first hospital admission for heart failure for every 1,000 people between the ages of 60 and 84 taking NSAIDs. That number could rise to three additional hospitalizations among patients age 70 and older, who also have diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney failure.

This increased risk may be small compared to the increased risk posed by previous diagnosis of heart failure, obesity, smoking, or a history of recent specialist appointments and inpatient stays, however, it may result in considerable public health impact, particularly among seniors. Heart failure is a common cause of illness and death among the elderly.

"Even a small increase in the risk can translate into a significant disease burden in the general population," the authors conclude.

For those suffering from allergies, like myself, or anyone else who takes common painkillers, this study should give us pause every time we go to take a pill to get rid of our headache or aches and pains.

Written by Jay Hammond, Managing Editor, AccountingWEB.com
editor@accountingweb.com

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