May 28, 2008 -- Many doctors believe ibuprofen is better than other NSAID pain relievers at reducing a person’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. But a new study challenges that assumption.
According to Maryland and California researchers who pooled results from previous clinical trials on NSAIDs and Alzheimer’s, all the drugs in this class – including ibuprofen, naproxen, and even aspirin – lower the chances someone will end up with the mind-robbing condition.
The research involved six previous studies on nearly 13,500 people who were without Alzheimer’s disease when the studies began. Over the study periods, 820 developed the disease.
“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,” study author Peter P. Zandi, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, was quoted as saying.
Researchers thought the ibuprofen group might work best because it targets a specific type of plaque linked to the condition. “But our results suggest there may be other reasons why these drugs may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s,” suggests Dr. Zandi.
Fellow investigator Chris Szekley, Ph.D., from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, believes more study is warranted to further explore the role of NSAIDs in the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
