Kardiovaskulær epidemiologi: Forskningsår i NSAID og hjertesygdomme
Cardiovascular outcomes associated with NSAID use in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors
Description
Non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain among the most widely used drugs worldwide for treating pain, fever, and inflammation. The cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs is controversial because newer cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and hypertension. As a consequence, several of the newer COX-2 inhibitors have been withdrawn and increasing concern about the safety of an older COX-2 inhibitor (diclofenac) has prompted regulatory warnings against its use in persons with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Despite accumulating evidence, clinical essential questions remain unanswered as to whether the NSAID-associated risks apply to patients without established cardiovascular disease but with risk factors such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and smoking.
Linking medical registries, this project will answer these questions using state-of-the-art epidemiological methods. Considering the prevalence of NSAIDs in the general population and the high incidence and severity of cardiovascular disease, the project results will have major clinical and public health implications. Hence, we aim to publish the results in high-impact journals (see papers for inspiration below).
The above project is fully funded and includes several PhD and Research Year projects.
We are looking for research year students to start a Research Year between 1 September 2023 and 31 January 2025. The Research Year students will become part of an internationally leading research environment at the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at Aarhus University and work closely with other research year and PhD students in our cardio-epidemiological research group. A research stay abroad at an international research institution as part of the Research Year is also an option.
Contact
Should you be interested in joining our group, please forward (1) a motivated email, (2) a CV, and (3) an exam overview to morten.schmidt@clin.au.dk.
Morten Schmidt, MD, PhD, DMSc, Associate Professor
References for inspiration
- Schmidt M et al. Diclofenac use and cardiovascular risks: series of nationwide cohort studies. BMJ 2018:k3426–10.
- Schmidt M et al. Cardiovascular safety of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: review and position paper by the working group for Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J. 2016 Apr 1;37(13):1015-23
- Schmidt M et al. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter: a population-based case-control study. BMJ. 2011; Jul 4;343:d3450