Use of NSAIDs and COX-2 Inhibitors Raises Risk for AF

Use of nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors has been associated with elevated risk for chronic atrial fibrillation (Arch Intern Med 2010; 170:1450). In this population-based case-control study from Denmark, investigators assessed risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter associated with these drugs.

Nearly 33,000 patients (median age, 75) with first diagnoses of AF were matched with 326,000 age- and sex-matched controls. After adjustments for multiple variables including AF risk factors, NSAID or COX-2 inhibitor use was associated with significantly elevated risk for AF (incident rate ratios, 1.2 and 1.3 for current use of NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors, respectively, and 1…