According to a new study painkillers such as ibuprofen do not prevent Alzheimer's disease though they may delay the onset of the disease. These findings contradicted earlier ones which had indicated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, can prevent the disease.
NSAIDs are used to relieve pain from conditions including arthritis. In the University of Washington study published in the journal Neurology researchers followed 2,736 people who had an average age of 75 and did not have dementia at the beginning of the study, for 12 years. They were asked about their use of NSAIDs and at the beginning of the study 351 people reported a heavy usage of NSAIDs and during the follow up period 107 became heavy NSAID users.
 To be termed a heavy user, doctors said the prescriptions for NSAIDs should be 68% or more over a two year period. The researchers found that the risk of developing dementia among heavy NSAID users was seen to be 66% higher as compared to people with little or no NSAID usage. Lead researcher Dr Eric Larson said, "Although we hoped to find a protective effect, there was none.

"Thus, for this age group, there's no basis for taking NSAIDs to prevent Alzheimer's disease." The difference between this study and the previous one the researchers said was the older age of the participants. Study author John C. S. Breitner, M. D. of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle said, "It has been argued for some time that NSAID use delays the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
 It would follow that studies looking at younger people who use NSAIDs would show fewer cases of Alzheimer's, while in groups of older people there might be more cases, including those that would have occurred earlier if they had not been delayed.

"We must not ignore the fundamental finding, which is an increase in the risk of dementia in the NSAID users.

"This is one interpretation of the results, but other explanations are possible. We need further research to understand that result more clearly." Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said, "Work in this area is complicated; many factors can interfere with the findings. We know that inflammation is involved in Alzheimer's - so investigating the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs makes sense."

She added, "We do not advise that people take aspirin or ibuprofen just to try to protect against dementia, as they can cause dangerous side-effects, including stomach ulcers and kidney problems. Always consult a medical professional if you are concerned about your health."