Carefully controlled study show that all class of non-aspirin NSAIDs cause increased risk of myocardial
infraction.
Another
study showed that aspirin reduces MI 32%.
ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Vol. 165 No.
9. May
9, 2005
Risk of Hospitalization for Myocardial Infarction Among Users of Rofecoxib,
Celecoxib, and Other NSAIDs
A Population-Based
Case-Control Study
Søren P. Johnsen, MD, PhD; Heidi Larsson, MSc; Robert E. Tarone, PhD; Joseph K.
McLaughlin, PhD; Bente Nørgård, MD, PhD; Søren Friis, MD; Henrik T. Sørensen, DMSc
Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:978-984.
Background It remains uncertain if the excess cardiovascular risk of rofecoxib and celecoxib reported
in clinical trials is present in routine practice and whether the use of other nonaspirin nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also carries an increased cardiovascular risk. We performed a population-based
case-control study to examine the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) among users of various categories of
nonaspirin NSAIDs.
Methods Using data from hospital discharge registries in the counties of North Jutland, Viborg,
and Aarhus, Denmark, and the Danish Civil Registration System, we identified 10 280 cases of first-time
hospitalization for MI and 102 797 sex- and age-matched non-MI population controls. All prescriptions
for nonaspirin NSAIDs filled before the date of admission for MI were identified using population-based prescription
databases. Relative risk estimates for MI were adjusted for a history of cardiovascular disease, hypertension,
diabetes mellitus, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, alcoholism, liver cirrhosis, upper gastrointestinal
bleeding, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and the use of high-dose aspirin, platelet inhibitors,
insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs, antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering drugs, oral anticoagulants, nitrates,
penicillamine, gold, oral glucocorticocoids, and hormone therapy before the date of admission for MI.
Results Current users of rofecoxib had an elevated risk estimate for hospitalization for MI compared
with nonusers of any category of nonaspirin NSAIDs (adjusted relative risk [ARR], 1.80; 95% confidence
interval [CI], 1.47-2.21). Increased risk estimates were also found among current users of celecoxib (ARR,
1.25; 95% CI, 0.97-1.62), other cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors (ARR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.09-1.93), naproxen
(ARR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.99-2.29), and other conventional non-aspirin NSAIDs (ARR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.52-1.85). The highest
ARRs were found among new users of all examined drug categories.
Conclusions Current and new users of all classes of non-aspirin NSAIDs had elevated relative risk
estimates for MI. Although the increased risk estimates may partly reflect unmeasured bias, they indicate
the need for further examination of the cardiovascular safety of all non-aspirin NSAIDs.
Author Affiliations: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital,
Aarhus, Denmark (Drs Johnsen, Nørgård, and Sørensen and Ms Larsson); Center of Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg Hospital,
Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark (Dr Johnsen); International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, Md (Drs Tarone
and McLaughlin); Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville,
Tenn (Drs Tarone and McLaughlin); and Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark (Dr Friis).