Painkillers linked to heart attacks

The claim relates to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and reflect previous studies of the risks.

In January, experts found that NSAIDs increased the chances of heart attacks and strokes when taken at high doses or over the long term.

The latest research, from Copenhagen University in Denmark, showed that NSAIDs were associated with a 45 per cent increased risk of death or recurrent heart attack within as little as one week of treatment.

The increased risk persisted, at 55 per cent, during a three-month course of treatment.

Among 83,697 heart attack survivors who were aged 68 on average, 42.3 per cent had been given at least one prescription for an NSAID following their attack.

The most common NSAIDs given on prescription were ibuprofen (23 per cent of the group) and diclofenac (13.4 per cent).

All NSAIDs were associated with an increased risk of death or recurrent heart attack, with diclofenac having the highest risk, the study showed.

Lead author Anne-Marie Schjerning Olsen, said: “Overall, NSAID treatment was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of death. Our results indicate that there is no apparent safe therapeutic window for NSAIDs in patients with prior heart attack.”