A new study finds that painkillers widely used to treat inflammation are associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder connected with a raised risk of stroke, heart failure and death. Previous research has linked non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and newer anti-inflammatory medications known as cox-2 inhibitors to an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes, but this is the first study to link the painkillers with atrial fibrillation. Danish researchers looked at 32,602 patients who had a first diagnosis of atrial fibrillation between 1999 and 2008. Each of those patients was compared with 10 age and gender-matched controls from the general population in Denmark.
