Usage of Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in a sample of New Zealanders with osteoarthritis : A cross-sectional study

Sammanfattning: Introduction Oral Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) is an analgesia and is commonly used by people with osteoarthritis (OA). Oral NSAID is currently recommended as the second level of treatment for OA, and could be considered if physical activity, topical NSAID or paracetamol do not supply sufficient pain relief.   Aim To investigate how frequently oral NSAID is used in a sample of New Zealanders with OA and also to investigate the exposure to heightened risk of adverse events while using oral NSAID.   Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect information about the use of oral NSAID by people with self-reported OA. The survey included 75 participants who were over the age of 45 with an average age of 70.6 years.   Results While having OA, 57,3% of the sample reported oral NSAID use. The results also show that 52% of the participants with cardiovascular (CV), gastrointestinal (GI) or renal comorbidities used oral NSAID, and 17,3% of them also combined that NSAID with medication for their comorbidity. Concerning the heightened risks of adverse events, 21% of the participants did acquire the analgesia over the counter (OTC), and 76,6% stated that they were over the age of 65.    Conclusion A majority of the participants in the study with self-reported OA take NSAID as an analgesia. Also, the study shows that NSAID is commonly used among participants with co-morbidity, which is similar to figures presented in previous studies in the area. However, the small sample size limits its generalizability to a larger population.