Heart Health
Heart failure risk in people with diabetes who take certain pain relievers
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- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
People with diabetes who take pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be at higher risk of heart failure, new research finds.
The study included more than 331,000 people in a Danish national health registry who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from 1998 and 2021. Within a year of their diagnosis, about one in six were prescribed an NSAID, usually ibuprofen, but the dosages were not reported. In the United States, this drug is sold over the counter as a generic and under the brand names Advil and Motrin.
During a median follow-up of nearly six years, more than 23,000 of the study participants were hospitalized with heart failure for the first time. Researchers found that people were 43% more likely to be hospitalized with heart failure in the 28 days after receiving an NSAID prescription.
This risk was highest among people ages 80 and older and with uncontrolled diabetes. The study was published April 18, 2023, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Image: © GraceCary/Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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