Frequency of analgesic drugs use and patients’ awareness of their possible interactions with antiplatelet therapy in coronary heart disease

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and frequency of analgesic drug use in patients with coronary heart disease, as well as to assess patients knowledge about possible interactions of these drugs with conventional cardiac therapy. Introduction: Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used in the management of pain in a variety of conditions. Available data clearly indicate that the NSAIDs use is associated with a number of adverse effects especially in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods: The study group consists 93 patients hospitalized in the tertiary cardiology center (mean age 67±11 years,30% females). Thirty nine subjects were hospitalized with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and 54 underwent elective coronary intervention. Self-prepared questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: In the examined group 56 patients (60%) declared the use of analgesic drugs with regular use (defined as at least 3 times per week) reported by 25 subjects (27%). The most frequently used analgesics were NSAIDs (n=37), paracetamol (n=36), less commonly patients reported the use of tramadol (n=6) or metamizol (n=9). The majority of patients using analgesic are not aware about possible interactions with antiplatelet therapy (the answer “yes” for the question about knowledge of possible interactions of analgesic with cardiac treatment gave only 21% of responders, while majority answered “do not know” (72%)). Only 20% of patients admitted that they received the information about analgesics from their doctor. Majority of patients do not consult the use of analgesics with the physician (72%). Conclusion: The regular use of NSAIDs/analgesic by 27% of hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease is a significant concern. Patients with coronary heart disease should be provided with detailed information and recommendation about safe analgesic therapy and alternatives for NSAIDs. Acknowledgements: The authors thank Prof. Danuta Czarnecka, head of the 1st Department of Cardiology, Interventional Electrocardiology and Hypertension Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University and Agnieszka Olszanecka Ph.D. for substantive supervision over the study.