Regular use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs increases the risk of adult‐onset asthma: a population‐based follow‐up study

Background: Little is known about the relation between regular use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the risk of asthma at the population level. The aim of this study was to examine a possible association between intake of NSAIDs and risk of adult‐onset asthma. Methods: Using data from two multidisciplinary postal questionnaire surveys concerning health and lifestyle, we prospectively studied 19 349 adult twins enrolled in the nationwide Danish Twin Registry. Results: We found a higher prevalence of new‐onset asthma in subjects who used NSAIDs (other than aspirin) regularly compared with non‐users (7.7% vs 4.3%), OR = 1.87 (1.25–2.81), P = 0.002. The result remained significant after adjusting for sex, age, smoking, BMI, hay fever, eczema and intake of medications other than NSAIDs, OR = 1.90 (1.26–2.85), P = 0.002. Conclusions: Regular use of NSAIDs other than aspirin may be a risk factor for adult‐onset asthma. This observation must be accommodated in explanations of the relationship between use of analgesics and risk of asthma. Please cite this paper as: Thomsen SF, Kyvik KO, Skadhauge LR, Steffensen I and Backer V. Regular use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs increases the risk of adult‐onset asthma: a population‐based follow‐up study. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2009; 3: 82–84.