Experts have warned millions of Britons are at risk of a potential killer if they take this common form of pain relief. Experts claim that people living with type 2 diabetes increase their chances of ending up in hospital with heart failure if they take the anti-inflammatory drug, Ibuprofen. People with type 2 diabetes who take ibuprofen are most likely to develop heart failure than those who had not taken them.
According to the charity Diabetes UK, one in 10 people over 40 in the UK are now living with the disease and they are more likely to experience pain than those who don’t and therefore might be inclined to take painkillers more often. This is because high blood sugar levels can cause nerve damage which leads to health problems ranging from mild numbness to pain, which can make it hard to do normal activities.
However, new Danish research suggests people with type 2 diabetes who take ibuprofen are more likely to develop heart failure than those who had not taken them. A study from Copenhagen University found diabetes patients who took ibuprofen and were over the age of 65 were at much greater risk of heart failure than those younger than 65. Of those, 50,000 took anti-inflammatory drugs -- including ibuprofen -- and half of those were hospitalised with heart failure for the first time.
The lead author of the study Dr. Anders Holt of Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, said the results suggest that "increased risk of heart failure should be taken into account when considering the use of these medications. On the contrary, the data indicate that it may be safe to prescribe short-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for patients below 65 years of age and those with well-controlled diabetes.”
The findings, from the Danish registry study, are being presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress. Over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin have previously been linked to a 20 per cent higher risk of developing tinnitus.
