NSAIDs could help reduce Alzheimer's risk

NSAIDs could help reduce Alzheimer's risk
30 May 2008

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin could be effective in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

A report published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology presented findings taken from the collated data of six different studies investigating the benefits of NSAIDs in relation to the development of dementia.

Neurologists found that patients who used NSAIDs had 23 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to those who never used NSAIDs.

Study author Dr Peter P Zandi, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, commented: "The NSAID group that includes ibuprofen was thought to target a certain type of plaque in the brain found in Alzheimer's patients."

Experts have previously debated whether a certain group of NSAIDs that includes ibuprofen may be more beneficial than another group that includes naproxen and aspirin.

However, the latest findings showed that the risk reduction of developing Alzheimer's was not dependent on the type of NSAID taken.

According to non-profit organisation Alzheimer's Europe, between 50 and 70 per cent of patients with dementia are suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

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