NSAIDs May Be Responsible for CVD Risk With Osteoarthritis

More than two thirds of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated with osteoarthritis (OA) are linked to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), according to the results of a study presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2018).

Previous research has indicated that OA is an independent risk factor for CVD, but the relationship is complicated, due to the frequent use of NSAIDs in OA.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, READ MORE...

NSAIDs and AF Risk: Is There a Connection?

CVD Risk Compared Across Various NSAIDs

In order to “disentangle the role of NSAID” in this relationship, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study involving 7743 OA patients and 23,229 non-OA controls, matched 1:3. Using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, the researchers estimated the risk of developing incident CVD, ischemic heart disease (IHD), congestive heart failure (CHF, and stroke.

Overall, individuals with OA had a 23% higher risk of CVD compared with those without OA after adjustments were made (hazard ratio [HR] 1.23). Adjusted HR was 1.42, 1.17, 1.14 for CHF, IHD and stroke, respectively.

However, approximately 67.51% of the total effect of OA on the increased risk of CVD was mediated through current NSAID use, while 44.77% of increased CHF risk was mediated through NSAID use and more than 90% of the total effects on IHD and stroke were mediated through NSAID use.

“Our study is the first to evaluate the mediating role of NSAID use in the OA-CVD relationship based on population-based health administrative data. The results of this study also indicate that OA is an independent risk factor for CVD. Our findings suggest that the mediating role of NSAID use substantially contributes to the OA-CVD association.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Atiquzzaman M, Kopec J, Karim ME, et al. The role of nsaids in the association between osteoarthritis and cardiovascular diseases: a population-based cohort study [presented at EULAR 2018]. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. June 13, 2018.