NEW fears have been raised about the safety of commonly-used painkillers after researchers found a link between ibuprofen and an increased risk of heart attack.
A major study showed people who were prescribed the drug, which is a key ingredient in dozens of over-the-counter remedies, were 24 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack.
In one of the biggest surveys of its kind, almost 10,000 people across Britain who suffered heart attacks were asked about their medical history by experts at the University of Nottingham.
They looked at whether those who suffered heart attacks had been prescribed ibuprofen - taken by millions across the world to treat minor pains such as headaches - or other anti-inflammatory medication often used to treat arthritis including diclofenac, naproxen, celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx). Vioxx was withdrawn last year on safety grounds with many arthritis sufferers switching to ibruprofen or the other anti-inflammatory drugs listed.
Researchers found that the risk of heart problems was greater for people who took these drugs in the three months up to their heart attack than those who had not taken the drugs for three years.
"The risk of heart attack increased by 24 per cent for those who took ibuprofen and by 55 per cent in diclofenac.
Despite these findings, Professor Julie Hippisley-Cox, who conducted the study, said people should not stop using painkillers as the risks were still relatively low.
She said: "People should not change their treatments because of this one study.
"There should be further investigation in this area. When you look at the number of extra heart attacks suffered as a result of ibuprofen by people aged 65 or over, there is only one extra death per thousand people, which is relatively small and should be no need to panic."
She called for further clinical research to establish the safety of the drug.
During a four-year trial, researchers looked at 9,218 patients who had suffered a heart attack for the first time and examined their medication in the three months leading up to their illness.