Arthritis Drugs Can Cause Heart Failure
Arthritis is the condition which implies the inflammation of joints. The disease can be caused by multiple factors, including the normal wear and tear, influences of traumas, autoimmune disorders etc. One of the most vivid symptoms of the disease is pain which together with inflammation requires immediate treatment. However, drugs utilized in therapy of the illness have many negative effects. Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, are the widespread consequences of arthritis treatment by NSAIDs; hence, in healthcare practice it is essential to take into account all aspects of treatment, including choosing of suitable drugs, medication inhibitors, dosage, course length and general state of patients’ health.
The patients subjected to the treatment by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have a high risk of heart failure. Ray Schilling in his analysis of British Medical Journal article highlights frequent cases of the condition among people above eighteen who take over 27 types of NSAIDs (2016). According to the study, during the period 2000-2010, there were 92, 163 admissions of such patients to the hospital (Schilling, 2016). In addition, Professor Colin Baigent, from the University of Oxford, emphasizes the fact that the use of diclofenac and ibuprofen in high doses increases the risk of CV issues, including heart attacks, which are comorbid with heart failure (Donnelly, 2013). Each year, at least 3 cases per one thousand patients, with one fatal are fixed
(Donnelly, 2013). In general, the research shows that over 350 thousand people taking such medications have 40% more risk of facing the diseases (Donnelly, 2013). In this way, there is strong evidence of arthritis drugs
damage to human health.
However, the mentioned risks depend on many factors, such as the overall health state of the patient, the medication itself, treatment course and the dose. For example, on the background of 639 studies, naproxen is considered to be relatively safe for CV system even in 1000 mg doses (Donnelly, 2013). According to Harvard Health Publications, Naproxen is recommended by cardiologists all over the world due its positive effect
in treatment of joint inflammation and low risks for CV system (2014). What is more, due to the analysis conducted by Schilling, celecoxib is considered the safest drug as it does not result in heart failure, both in
low and high doses (2016). At the same time, ketorolac has over 80% risk of HF, while ibuprofen has less than 20% risk (Schilling, 2016). Furthermore, speaking about the dosage and the course of treatment, it should be
mentioned that short courses and low doses of already mentioned ibuprofen and diclofenac do not pose high risks of heart failure for the patients. On the contrary, endomethacin and etoricoxib as well as some other drugs in high and even medium dozes are very dangerous (Schilling). Depending on the general condition of the patient, frequency of recurrences, sensation …
