Ibuprofen and heart attack risk: Should this drug be restricted?



There are calls for tighter restrictions on the sale of all over-the-counter painkillers in Australia after an international study found a significant link between ibuprofen use and cardiac arrest.

A 10-year Danish study of nearly 30,000 patients found the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen - commonly sold as Nurofen or Advil - was associated with a 31 per cent increased risk of a cardiac arrest.

“Allowing these drugs to be purchased without a prescription, and without any advice or restrictions, sends a message to the public that they must be safe,” said the study’s author Gunnar Gislason, professor of cardiology at Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte in Denmark.

Ibuprofen and heart attack risk: Should this drug be restricted? http://tipsandsteps.com/shortlink/mu