Aspirin may reduce risk of Parkinson’s

While some widely-used pain medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, have become suspects in increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers now think they may have a beneficial effect too, reducing a person’s risk of Parkinson’s disease. The findings are in a study published in the November issue of the international journal Neurology.

NSAIDs are a class of anti-inflammatory drug that includes the common aspirin as well as ibuprofen, naproxens and celecoxib.

“Given our results and the growing burden of Parkinson’s disease as people age, there’s a pressing need for further studies explaining why these drugs may play a protective role,” said study author Angelika D Wahner, PhD, at the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles.

The study found regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by as much as 60% compared to non-regular users and non-users. Women who were regular users of aspirin reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by 40%, especially among those who regularly used aspirin for more than two years.

“Our findings suggest NSAIDs are protective against Parkinson’s disease, with a particularly strong protective effect among regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs, especially those who reported two or more years of use,” said Ms Wahner.

“Interestingly, aspirin only benefited women. It may be that men are taking lower doses of aspirin for heart problems, while women may be using higher doses for arthritis or headaches.”