Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly used pain relievers, may increase the risk of a heart attack when used during an acute respiratory illness, according to a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Researchers analyzed claims from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Program from 2005 to 2011, which included data from nearly 10,000 patients who were hospitalized for a heart attack. They compared each patient's risk for heart attack over time, across episodes of respiratory illness and NSAID use.
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The study shows that using the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during an acute respiratory infection was associated with a 3.4-fold increased risk of a heart attack, compared to times when patients had neither of the risk factors. The risk increased by 7.2 times when patients received the pain drugs intravenously in the hospital.
The risk for a heart attack when patients with an acute respiratory illness were not taking an NSAID was 2.7 times greater than those with neither risk factor, and 1.5 times greater when individuals took the drugs and did not have an infection.
However, the study's findings do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between NSAID use, acute respiratory infections and increased heart attack risk, the study authors note, and thus additional research is required.