To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Use of NSAIDs is Associated with Reduced Risk of Alzheimer's -- Study URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1FDE2.htm Doctor's Guide March 10, 1997
WASHINGTON, March 10, 1997 – Taking non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A study of 2,065 older men and women over a 14-period from 1980 to 1994 showed that those who reported using NSAIDs had a 30% to 60% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to those who did not use NSAIDs or used other pain medications. The study appeared in the March, 1997 issue of Neurology. "We have seen consistent evidence that inflammation is linked to the development of Alzheimer's," said Walter Stewart, Ph.D., adjunct professor, Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "So it would make sense that an anti-inflammatory medication might slow the progression of the disease, or even play a role in preventing it." Although other studies have looked at the link between NSAIDs and Alzheimer's, Dr. Stewart's was the first to demonstrate that increasing duration of NSAID use is associated with decreasing risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study followed participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Information on medication use was collected during each biennial examination. Those in the study listed all medications they had used since their last visit. Medications were listed by both type and frequency. If a person was taking a drug that contained both NSAIDs and either acetaminophen or aspirin, it was classified as an NSAID. Only those who used non-aspirin NSAIDs had a significant reduction in risk. In addition, the reduction was greatest for those who used non-aspirin NSAIDs for a longer period of time. Neither aspirin nor acetaminophen seemed to offer significant protection. "Using NSAIDs seems to offer promise as a way to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's, but we will need clinical trials to prove that a specific NSAID confers protection and, ultimately, to make public health recommendations to reduce risk," Dr. Stewart said. Researchers also cautioned against a wholesale turning toward NSAIDs since the chronic use of NSAIDs has been associated with a number of adverse effects. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health and made possible by the Institute's long term commitment to the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.