- WEDNESDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) — The painkillers called
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) appear to reduce the risk
of developing Alzheimer's disease, but no one medication in the class
works better than the others, a new analysis finds.

Data from the study, the largest of its kind, contradicts some previous
studies that found that ibuprofen might exceed others in its class when it
comes to preventing this type of dementia. Besides ibuprofen, other types
of NSAIDs include naproxen and aspirin.

But the bottom line, the study authors said, is that the findings don't
support the use of NSAIDs to prevent or treat Alzheimer's, at least not
yet anyway.

“You do not want to take NSAIDs to prevent against Alzheimer's,” said
study senior author Peter P. Zandi, an assistant professor of mental
health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
“We don't have any sufficient data to make any recommendations like that,
but we need to figure out what's going on so we can better understand the
explanation for this finding.”

Added Dr. Gary Kennedy, head of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore
Medical Center in New York City: “The reader should be aware that what was
conveyed [by the NSAIDs in the study] was a fraction of a benefit.”

The findings are published in the May 28 online issue of
Neurology.

While some observational studies have indicated that NSAIDs –
especially ibuprofen — might lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's, a
recent large, randomized, controlled trial found no effect in
treating the disease. Meanwhile, some basic science studies have
indicated that certain NSAIDs might reduce production of a peptide
fragment called A beta 42, which is a key component of the plaques that
develop in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

The researchers behind the new study combined data from six prospective
studies involving 13,499 people to compare the group of NSAIDs known as
selective A beta-lowering agents (SALAs) to non-SALA NSAIDs. SALAs have
been found to lower A beta 42 levels.

Overall, people who regularly took NSAIDs had a 23 percent lower risk
of developing Alzheimer's. But there didn't appear to be any difference in
the effectiveness of the different types of NSAIDs.

And ibuprofen, a commonly used SALA, was no more or less effective than
naproxen, a commonly used non-SALA, Zandi said.

The findings do cast doubt on the theory that NSAIDs may help prevent
Alzheimer's by reducing production of A beta 42, he said.

“That leaves a conundrum, a scientific mystery,” Zandi said. “What's
very clear is that observational data is very consistent, that there is a
reduction in risk among people using NSAIDs, so there's something going
on.”

What exactly is going on, however, is unclear.

“The question of anti-inflammatory drugs being used as a protective
mechanism against Alzheimer's has been investigated for over a decade
now,” said Maria Carrillo, director of medical and scientific relations at
the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago. “We know that there have been some
controversial results out there, so currently what we also know is that
they [NSAIDs] are not approved for the treatment or prevention of
Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Association does not recommend you
take NSAIDs on a daily basis because there are a lot of side effects…
The jury is still out on whether NSAIDs can be protective against
Alzheimer's.”

More information

Visit the Alzheimer's Association for more on this condition.