Long-term use of NSAIDs, ibuprofen linked to lower-risk of dementia: study

Use of Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) over a period of time lowers the risk of dementia, a new study indicates. 

NSAIDs and ibuprofen are common medications to treat or help with pain, fevers and inflammation, generally called "painkillers". 

They are extremely useful for symptom relief but experts are also interested in the potential long-term effects, according to Medical News Today. 

A study was recently published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society and it examined the relationship between the use of NSAIDs over certain time frames and risk for dementia. 

Results from 11,745 participants indicated that the use of NSAIDs for longer than two years lowered the risk of dementia. Whereas consumption of the drug for a shorter period of time was associated with a slight increase in risk of the memory disease. 

Researchers also noted that a cumulative amount of NSAIDs did not decrease the risk of dementia suggesting that time of exposure matters regarding the potential benefits of the drug use on dementia risk. 

The authors of the research ponder that inflammation may be a key factor in the development of dementia. NSAIDs help with inflammation and may affect dementia risk. 

Researchers included participants who did not have baseline dementia, including 11,745 participants in the final analysis. 

The researchers also had an average follow-up time with participants of 14.5 years, during which 81.3% of participants used NSAIDs. 

Just under 6% of the people used NSAIDs that did not have beta-amyloid-42-lowering properties and about 46% of participants used a combination of non-beta-amyloid-42-lowering and beta-amyloid-42-lowering NSAIDs. 

More than 2,000 participants developed dementia. Short-term and immediate use of the drug slightly increases the risk of dementia while long-term use of NSAIDs decreases the risk of developing the disease. 

Researchers also concluded that non-beta-amyloid-42-lowering NSAIDs appeared to lower the risk for all-cause dementia more than beta-amyloid-42-lowering NSAIDs.