Categories
Change Password!
Reset Password!
NSAIDs are commonly prescribed in ambulatory care to patients with a history of myocardial infarction, accounting for most post-discharge analgesic use, primarily for musculoskeletal conditions.
A large nationwide analysis of real-world data from South Korea reveals that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) continue to be widely prescribed to patients even after a myocardial infarction (MI), despite longstanding guideline warnings. Using the Korea National Health Insurance Service database, Sun-Young Jung and other researchers examined ambulatory analgesic prescribing patterns among adults aged 20 years and older who were hospitalized with a first-ever MI/heart attack. The study tracked analgesic usage after hospital discharge and evaluated annual prescription trends across different drug classes. Out of 93,597 people with incident MI, 75,131 (80.3%) received ambulatory analgesics following discharge, accounting for a total of 2,081,705 prescriptions.
Most prescriptions were issued at primary care clinics, which represented 80.3% of all ambulatory analgesic use. Musculoskeletal ailments were the most common indication for analgesic treatment, responsible for 70.7% of prescriptions, and NSAIDs were frequently used in this setting. Among NSAIDs, aceclofenac was the most commonly prescribed (13.7%), followed by diclofenac injections (9.4%). The analysis also identified notable temporal shifts in prescribing patterns, with substantial changes observed for certain agents, including loxoprofen, over the study period.
These findings highlight a substantial gap between everyday clinical practice and evidence-based guideline advice. Despite concerns about cardiovascular risk, NSAIDs remain commonly employed in patients with a prior MI, particularly for musculoskeletal pain in ambulatory care. The authors emphasize the requisition for further real-world studies to better comprehend drug–disease interactions and cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs prescribed after MI, especially in those requiring long-term treatment for musculoskeletal ailments.
Healthcare (Basel)
Trends in Ambulatory Analgesic Usage after Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study of Real-World Data
Sun-Young Jung et al.
Comments (0)