Ibuprofen increases blood pressure in osteoarthritis patients
If patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis receive ibuprofen, their risk of cardiovascular disease increases compared with other painkillers. The results of a corresponding study were presented at the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona on August 28, 2017.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen and the Cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib are among the most prescribed and used drugs worldwide. Both classes of drugs are known to cause side effects such as increased blood pressure. Even small increases in blood pressure can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality. Now a recent study shows that ibuprofen has a significantly less favorable effect than naproxen and celecoxib.
All with coronary artery disease
A total of 444 US patients took part in the study, 408 suffered from osteoarthritis, 36 from rheumatoid arthritis. All patients showed coronary artery disease or had a higher risk of it. One third of the patients received celecoxib (2x 100-200 mg daily), and one third each received ibuprofen (3x 600-800 mg daily) or naproxen (2x 375-500 mg daily). After four months, blood pressure was compared with that at the beginning of the study.
While celecoxib lowered blood pressure by an average of 0.3 mmHg, it increased by 3.7 mmHg with ibuprofen and by 1.6 mmHg with naproxen. "The increase in blood pressure with ibuprofen is significant," said Prof. Frank Ruschitzka, head of the study and deputy director of the Department of Cardiology at the University Heart Center Zurich. Ibuprofen is "clearly not as safe as previously thought." Particularly for older patients who frequently suffer from osteoarthritis and high blood pressure, the results are of great clinical significance, Ruschitzka continues: "A reduction in blood pressure of just 2 mmHg reduces the risk of infarction by ten percent and the risk of mortality from coronary heart disease by seven percent."
The study now conducted is a complementary investigation to the PRECISION study. This has already shown that celecoxib does not affect the Risk of cardiovascular disease not increased more than naproxen and ibuprofen. Both naproxen and ibuprofen are available without a prescription and are taken by hundreds of millions of people every year. Both drugs have been shown to cause gastrointestinal distress and damage to the kidneys and stomach lining.
Info: Prof. Dr. Frank Ruschitzka, www.usz.ch, www.escardio.org
