Current Use of Prescribed NSAIDs Is Associated with Elevated Risk for Heart Failure

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with excess risk for heart failure (HF). In this study, researchers used healthcare databases in four European countries to evaluate the association between NSAID use and hospital admission for HF. Among 7.7 million adults who started treatment with prescription NSAIDs between 2000 and 2010, researchers identified 92,000 cases (mean age, 77) with HF-related hospital admission and matched them by age, sex, and year of study entry with >8 million controls.

Risk for HF-related hospital admission was significantly higher with current NSAID use (i.e., within the previous 14 days) than with prior use (adjusted odds ratio, 1.2). In analyses of individual NSAIDs, current use of seven tradi…