April, 2003
Can Motrin prevent dementia? New research suggests that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen (Motrin), aspirin, and naproxen (Aleve), may provide some protection against the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The study is a "meta-analysis" where the results of previous studies were combined and examined together. The combined study included data from almost 16,000 patients. It was presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Honolulu, April, 2003.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological and mental health disorder that affects approximately 4 million older Americans. There is no known cure for the disorder, but new drugs are helping manage the symptoms in some patients
The current study had two parts:
1. Researchers explored the risk of Alzheimer's in patients who used different types of NSAIDs.
2. They also explored that risk in patients who used aspirin only. (They were interested in studying the effect of aspirin alone because some studies have suggested that its mechanism of action differs from that of other NSAIDs.)
The relative risk of Alzheimer's among current users of NSAIDs was found to be 0.72, while the risk for aspirin users was 0.87. It may be that aspirin is less protective than other NSAIDs, but this study did not demonstrate that conclusively. It could be that aspirin may have less anti-inflammatory effect at the lower doses commonly prescribed for the prevention of heart attack or stroke.
Last updated 3/30/06
Source: Research press release written by the American Academy of Neurology summarizing results presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Honolulu, April, 2003.
