Painkillers don't prevent Alzheimer's: study

Last Updated: 2007-04-30 12:00:46 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Study results suggest that the use of naproxen or celecoxib (Celebrex) does not stave off Alzheimer's disease, although the authors acknowledge that longer follow-up is needed to completely rule out a benefit.

Over-the-counter pain medication naproxen and prescription pain reliever celecoxib are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used for arthritis and other aches and pains.

In early reports, these agents showed promise for the treatment of people with Alzheimer's disease, but more recent studies have shown little effect on progression of the devastating, memory-robbing disorder.

However, no trials have examined whether these painkillers are useful for preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease, lead author Dr. Constantine Lyketsos, from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues note.

To investigate, they conducted the Alzheimer's Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT), which involved more than 2,100 volunteers, at least 70 years of age, who were free of dementia at the outset, but had a family history of Alzheimer's disease.

The subjects were randomized to receive naproxen (220 mg), celecoxib (200 mg), or inactive placebo twice daily for up to 4 years.

Compared with placebo takers, subjects taking celecoxib and naproxen were actually more likely to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, although the associations fell short of statistical significance, the investigators report in the journal Neurology.

Naproxen and celecoxib also did not appear to have any impact on mild cognitive decline.

Despite the null results, the authors believe that NSAID therapy may protect against Alzheimer's disease, provided that the treatment is started many years before the disease is likely to develop.

Continued follow-up of the ADAPT cohort may help answer this question, they add.

SOURCE: Neurology online April 25, 2007.