This recent study found that the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) caused a greater than 10-fold increase in the risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with a history of heart disease. In those without a history of heart disease, the use of NSAIDs still increased the risk by 60%.

Although previous studies have shown that the use of NSAIDs could lead to the development of congestive heart failure (CHF) in some patients, the magnitude of the association was not fully understood.

The authors speculate that if their results are correct, it means that NSAIDs are responsible for 19% of all hospital admissions for CHF.

CHF, commonly referred to as simply "heart failure", is a disorder in which the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently, thereby failing to meet the demands of the body. As pumping action is lost, blood may back up into other areas of the body, including the liver, gastrointestinal tract, and extremities (right-sided heart failure), or the lungs (left-sided heart failure). Some other potential causes of CHF include:

• high blood pressure
• heart valve disease
• congenital heart diseases
• cardiomyopathy
• anemia
• irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
• hyperthyroidism
• kidney disease
• infections

In addition to NSAIDS, other drugs such as beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers have also been shown to increase the risk of CHF.

Archives of Internal Medicine June 2000; 160: 777-784.