Celecoxib seems to be safer choice for elderly CHF patients

The risk of death and recurrent heart failure are higher in elderly patients prescribed NSAIDs or rofecoxib compared with those prescribed celecoxib, according to Canadian researchers. Dr Marie Hudson (Research Institute of McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC) and colleagues looked at 2256 patients aged 66 or older prescribed celecoxib, rofecoxib, or an NSAID after an index admission for congestive heart failure between April 2000 and March 2002. The combined risk of death and recurrent congestive heart failure was higher in patients prescribed NSAIDs or rofexocib than in those prescribed celecoxib (hazard ratios 1.26 and 1.27, respectively).The findings were similar when the outcomes were assessed separately. In pairwise analysis, the risks of death and recurrent congestive heart failure, combined and separate, were similar between patients prescribed NSAIDs and rofecoxib."Since we had no unexposed group, we were unable to estimate whether, and by how much, celecoxib increases the risk of recurrent congestive heart failure and death compared with non-users of NSAIDs and cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors."Nevertheless, they conclude that, "important class differences seem to exist between NSAIDs and cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors and among cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors themselves. Celecoxib seems to be a safer alternative to rofecoxib and NSAIDs in elderly patients with congestive heart failure."Reference...