Many Arthritis Patients Accept Small Heart Risk With NSAIDs for Better Quality of Life

Arthritis patients have been left weighing the benefits versus risks of COX-2 inhibitors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) since the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market and U.S. FDA scrutiny linked the medications to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. According to a report in the British Medical Journal, a meta-analysis of all trials of NSAIDs which had recorded data on cardiovascular problems found a similar increased risk of heart attack or stroke between COX-2 inhibitors and high doses of two traditional NSAIDs, ibuprofen and diclofenac, compared to patients on placebo.

According to a report in BBC News about the study, researchers from Oxford University found that the odds of a heart attack or stroke increased by 42% in patients taking a COX-2 inhibitor compared with placebo. The odds were increased by 51% for high-dose ibuprofen (800mg three times a day) and 63% for high-dose diclofenac (75mg twice a day). The increased risk was not found to be associated with naproxen. Even so, the absolute risk was reported to be very small (three additional heart attacks or strokes for every 1,000 patients who take the drugs for a year). Some arthritis patients believe "the drugs are worth the risk".

• What Are COX-2 Inhibitors?
• The Facts of NSAIDs
• FDA Action on NSAIDs
• Arthritis Medication - Test Your Knowledge

_{Photo by Jan Roger Johannesen}