Study: NSAIDs May Lower Risk of Alzheimer's

Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.

NSAIDs are commonly used to treat arthritis because of their pain-killing and anti-inflammatory ability. They are also effective fever reducers. Aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen are common NSAIDs.

As reported in the July 19 issue of the British Medical Journal, researchers analyzed 15 previous studies published between 1996 and October 2002 that examined the role of NSAIDs in preventing Alzheimer's.

NSAIDS were found to offer some protection against the development of Alzheimer's disease. The benefits also seemed to increase with length of NSAID use.

"Our study has generated a strong hypothesis that NSAIDs may prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease," researcher Mahyar Etminan, an epidemiologist at the hospital, told Medical Week.

"However, the data comes from large observational studies that are subject to biases. Consumers should not be taking NSAIDs for the sole purpose of preventing Alzheimer's disease until the result from a large randomized trial (Alzheimer's Disease Anti-Inflammatory Prevention Trial) that is ongoing confirms this fact," added Etminan.

Other sources: British Medical Journal (2003:327: 128-31)