NSAIDs May Ward Off Alzheimer's Disease

Study finds aspirin works almost as well as other anti-inflammatories

MONDAY, March 31, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen may offer protection against Alzheimer's disease, say researchers from the University of Toronto and the University of Washington.

The results of their analysis of about 15,834 people with Alzheimer's disease were presented March 31 in Honolulu at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

The researchers did two separate studies. In one, they examined the risk of Alzheimer's in people who used aspirin only. Some previous studies have suggested that aspirin's mechanism of action differs from other NSAIDs.

The researchers concluded the pooled relative risk of Alzheimer's among current users of NSAIDs was 0.72, while the pooled relative risk for aspirin users was 0.87.

Alzheimer's disease affects about 4 million older Americans. There is no known cure.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about Alzheimer's disease.

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