Millions of people who use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen and ibuprofen, shouldn't bank on the drugs helping them ward off dementia. A study in this week's Neurology suggests that NSAID users do not have lower rates of dementia and that increased use of the pain relievers may actually raise the risk of cognitive decline.
"We had high hopes that these non-steroidal arthritis drugs might play a role, in part because other studies had been promising," says study author Eric Larson, executive director of Group Health Center for Health Studies, a Seattle-based HMO.
Researchers followed 2,736 members of Group Health who were an average age of 75 at the study's start. Participants were tracked for 12 years to see if they developed dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Participants' pharmacy records were evaluated for use of prescription and over-the-counter pain relievers, and they were questioned about their NSAID use as well