The consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is related to heart failure in patients with diabetes, according to research presented at a congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC-2022) in Barcelona.
The study indicates that the habitual consumption of NSAIDs is associated, in the short term, with a first hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The person in charge of the investigation, Anders Holt, from the Copenhagen University Hospital (Denmark), assured that “one in six patients with type 2 diabetes requests at least one NSAID prescription in a year.”
NSAID use was once associated with an increased risk of heart failure in the general population, but patients with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart failure, so NSAIDs “may be even more harmful in this at-risk group”.
The study followed 331,189 patients with type 2 diabetes for nearly six years and found that 16% of the sample requested at least one NSAID prescription, while 3% requested at least three prescriptions.
During the investigation, a total of 23,308 patients were hospitalized with heart failure for the first time.
Ibuprofen was used by 12.2% of the patients, followed by diclofenac, used by 3.3%, and naproxen by 0.9%. Celecoxib was used by 0.4%.
In the study, patients who already had heart failure or who had a rheumatologic condition that required long-term use of NSAIDs were excluded.
Anders Holt noted that data on the use of over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was not included in the research, however, he assured that it is a worrying fact.
“We cannot conclude that NSAIDs cause heart problems, but the results suggest that a possible increased risk of heart failure should be taken into account when using these drugs,” he concluded.
Source: Observadora
