In a recent study by the researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland it has been found that any long-term use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID), popularly painkillers can be fatal to develop cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, stroke and some other serious ailments.

The findings were published in the British Medical Journal this week. The researchers came to the conclusion through the data from 31 clinical trials which involved more than 116,000 volunteers who took naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, Pfizer's Celebrex (celecoxib), Merck's Arcoxia (etoricoxib), Merck's Vioxx (rofecoxib), Novartis' Prexige (lumiracoxib), or a dummy drug.

These drugs are associated a very high risk of heart diseases and resultant stoke or a cardiovascular death. These NSAIDs are the standard method of treating patients with pain around the world, especially to treat patients with osteoarthritis. It is found that in the US 5% of the patients who visit a doctor are prescribed with some form of these painkillers.

Naproxen is the safest of all the available painkillers for an osteoarthritis patient. It poses less threat for a cardiovascular risk. However, the researchers alerted that this is complemented by gastrointestinal side effects and require an extra care to that problem.

Prof. Peter Weissberg, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, commenting on the findings. "However, some patients with debilitating joint pains may consider the small increased risk worthwhile when set against the improvement in their quality of life that these drugs bring."

The researchers said in a final note, "Little evidence exists to suggest that any of the investigated drugs are safe in cardiovascular terms." They rather advised that any such risk should be given a special notice by the doctors before prescribing NSAIDs.