Ibuprofen May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
Long-term use of ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the May 6 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies have shown conflicting results, but this is the longest study of its kind.
Use of ibuprofen pain relievers like Advil and Motrin for more than five years reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 44% in a study reported in the May issue of Neurology.
Long-term users of several other types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also had a lower than expected risk of Alzheimer’s.
Boston University researchers found people who took ibuprofen regularly for five years cut their risk of getting dementia 25 percent. Researchers think ibuprofen helps reduce inflammation of the brain.
Critics say the results are not firm enough to make any recommendations given the gastrointestinal side effects associated with long-term use of this class of painkillers.
According to William Thies, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association, people should not just take the painkiller just because it has been shown to reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease as this can be unhealthy.
It is estimated that in the United States that Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly.
Study authors caution these results do not equate to a recommendation of taking ibuprofen or NSAIDs every day. Instead, they say this is an observational study and is subject to what is called “indication bias.” This means it might not be the ibuprofen that caused the lower risk of dementia, but rather something else those using ibuprofen chose to do instead. They also point out that the reason ibuprofen may have shown a better outcome could simply be because it is the most commonly used NSAID.
Observational studies such as this one must be interpreted with the understanding that they do not prove that an NSAID has a therapeutic effect. The study is subject to what is called “indication bias.” That means that it might not be the NSAID use that drove the lower risk of dementia, but rather something about the people who chose to use the NSAIDs that was responsible. These findings should not be taken to mean that NSAIDs should be administered to prevent dementia.
“This is an interesting finding because it seems to challenge a current theory that the NSAID group which includes ibuprofen may work better in reducing a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s,” said study author Peter P. Zandi, PhD, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD. “The NSAID group that includes ibuprofen was thought to target a certain type of plaque in the brain found in Alzheimer’s patients. But our results suggest there may be other reasons why these drugs may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.”
