NSAIDs and incident Alzheimer’s disease. the Rotterdam study

• Published in: Neurobiology of aging Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 607 - 611
• Main Authors: In ’t Veld, B.A, Launer, L.J, Hoes, A.W, Ott, A, Hofman, A, Breteler, M.M.B, Stricker, B.H.Ch
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Inc 01.11.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology; Alzheimer’s disease; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nested case-control study; Neurology; NSAIDs; Risk; Alzheimer’s disease; Nested case-control study; NSAIDs; Non steroidal antiinflammatory agent; Human; Nervous system diseases; Alzheimer disease; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; Cerebral disorder
• ISSN: 0197-4580; 1558-1497
• DOI: 10.1016/S0197-4580(98)00096-7

Recent studies suggest that the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We investigated the relation of NSAID use over a 10-year period and the risk for incident AD using a nested case-control design in the population-based Rotterdam Study. The study was performed in 306 subjects; 74 Alzheimer patients diagnosed according to NINCDS-ADRDRA criteria and 232 age and sex-matched controls. NSAID use was abstracted from general practitioners’ medical records and expressed as cumulative prescription days. The relative risk for AD associated with long-term use (≥2 months) was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.46–1.99) as compared to nonusers, after controlling for possible confounders. In a separate examination, subjects who had more than 6 months of prescription days had a reduced relative risk for AD (RR = 0.74 (95% CI: 0.20–2.72). In an age-stratified analysis the effect in long-term users was evident in those aged 85 and under; 0.53 (95% CI: 0.15–1.77). All risk estimates were lower when the last 2 years of exposure were excluded from the analyses. Our point estimates in subjects younger than 85 years and in subjects using NSAIDs for 6 months or more are consistent with the hypothesis that long-term use of NSAIDs reduces the risk for AD. However, overall there was no association between NSAID use and the risk for incident AD.