Ibuprofen linked to less Alzheimer's risk

BOSTON, May 6 (UPI) -- Long-term use of ibuprofen and other drugs commonly used for aches and pains is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine identified 49,349 U.S. veterans age 55 and older who developed Alzheimer's disease and 196,850 veterans without dementia.

Study author Dr. Steven Vlad and colleagues examined five years of data and looked at the use of several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. The veterans received medical care and prescriptions through the VA Health Care system.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, found people who specifically used ibuprofen for more than five years were more than 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Results also showed that the longer ibuprofen was used, the lower the risk for dementia. In addition, people who used certain types of NSAIDs for more than five years were 25 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than non-users.

NSAIDs such as indomethacin may also have been associated with lower risks, but others such as celecoxib did not show any impact on dementia risk, Vlad said.

"It doesn't appear that all NSAIDs decrease the risk at the same rate," Vlad says in a statement.