New study says diclofenac increases risk of heart problems

A new study by Danish published in the British Medical Journal claims that taking diclofenac could quickly increase the risk of heart problems.

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is often used to treat arthritis and other painful joint conditions. In many countries, it’s available without a prescription.

Diclofenac, available in major pharmacies and sold over the counter in Nigeria as a type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

Experts say that the increased risk of suffering a heart attack was 50 per cent overall when taking the drugs, compared with not using them.

“The increased risk was apparent even within 30 days of starting the drug and even with low doses,” the researchers reported in The BMJ.

The researcher also found that the rate of first-time cardiovascular events was 20 to 30 per cent higher among people who started taking diclofenac than among people who started taking ibuprofen or naproxen, which are also NSAIDs, or paracetamol (acetaminophen). These events included heart attacks, development of an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, or death from heart problems.

NSAID are said to cause peptic ulceration which is the reason why they should be avoided or used with caution by individuals with previous or active peptic ulcer disease.

The study further showed that diclofenac initiators had an upper gastrointestinal bleeding risk similar to that of naproxen initiators and more than twice the risk of ibuprofen initiators.

The researchers analysed data from the Danish national patient registry. Altogether, they had information on nearly 1.4 million diclofenac users, 3.9 million ibuprofen users, 292,000 naproxen users, 765, 00 paracetamol users, and 1.3 million people not on any of these painkillers.

The researchers concluded that it is time to acknowledge the potential health risk of diclofenac and to reduce its use.

“Diclofenac should not be available over the counter, and when prescribed, should be accompanied by an appropriate front package warning about its potential risks,” they say.

ANTHONIA OBOKOH