Annals
Established in 1927 by the American College of Physicians
:
Advanced search
box Article
 arrow  Table of Contents                
space
 arrow  PDF of this article
(PDFs free after 6 months)
space
 arrow  Related articles in Annals
space
box Services
 arrow  Send comment/rapid response letter
space
 arrow  Notify a friend about this article
space
 arrow  Alert me when this article is cited
space
 arrow  Add to Personal Archive
space
 arrow  Download to Citation Manager
space
 arrow  ACP Search                        
space
 arrow  Get Permissions
space
box Google Scholar
 arrow  Search for Related Content
space
box PubMed
Articles in PubMed by Author:
  arrow  Brophy, J. M.
space
  arrow  Zhang, B.
space
 arrow  Related Articles in PubMed
space
 arrow  PubMed Citation
space
 arrow  PubMed
space

REPLY

The Risk for Myocardial Infarction with Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors

right arrow James M. Brophy, MD, PhD; Linda E. Lévesque, BScPhm, MSc; and Bin Zhang, MSc

18 October 2005 | Volume 143 Issue 8 | Pages 617-618


IN RESPONSE:

We agree with Kim and colleagues that, while celecoxib appears to be less cardiotoxic than rofecoxib in several observational studies (1-3), there is nevertheless reason for concern—particularly when the drug is given in higher doses (as in the APC trial) or in the largely unstudied group of patients with previous myocardial infarctions. We also agree that any cardioprotective benefits of aspirin in rofecoxib users may be offset by a significant reduction in gastrointestinal protection.

As Pijak and colleagues point out, the exact cardioprotective mechanism of aspirin and its potential interaction with COX-2 inhibitors is far from established and remains a fertile ground for further research regarding the role of inflammation. Similarly, Shinmura and Bolli have also proposed another interesting new mechanism to explain the detrimental effects of COX-2 inhibitors that again goes beyond the simple prothrombotic theory currently in vogue. These interesting and novel hypotheses will need further experimental confirmation.


Author and Article Information
space
up arrowTop
dotAuthor & Article Info
down arrowReferences

From McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada.

Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.


References
space
up arrowTop
up arrowAuthor & Article Info
dotReferences

1. Graham DJ, Campen D, Hui R, Spence M, Cheetham C, Levy G, et al. Risk of acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death in patients treated with cyclo-oxygenase 2 selective and non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: nested case-control study. Lancet. 2005;365:475-81. [PMID: 15705456].[Medline]

2. Solomon DH, Schneeweiss S, Glynn RJ, Kiyota Y, Levin R, Mogun H, et al. Relationship between selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and acute myocardial infarction in older adults. Circulation. 2004;109:2068-73. [PMID: 15096449].[Abstract/Free Full Text]

3. Ray WA, Stein CM, Hall K, Daugherty JR, Griffin MR. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of serious coronary heart disease: an observational cohort study. Lancet. 2002;359:118-23. [PMID: 11809254].[Medline]

About Letters
space

The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:

•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references

•Type with double-spacing

•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.

Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.

Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.


Related articles in Annals:

Articles
The Risk for Myocardial Infarction with Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors: A Population Study of Elderly Adults
Linda E. Lévesque, James M. Brophy, AND Bin Zhang
Annals 2005 142: 481-489. [ABSTRACT][SUMMARY][Full Text]  

Letters
The Risk for Myocardial Infarction with Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors
Jeong A. Kim, Youn Seon Choi, Dokyung Yoon, AND Kyung Hwan Cho
Annals 2005 143: 615-616. [Full Text]  

Letters
The Risk for Myocardial Infarction with Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors
Michal R. Pijak, Igor Huzicka, AND Frantisek Gazdik
Annals 2005 143: 616-617. [Full Text]  

Letters
The Risk for Myocardial Infarction with Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors
Ken Shinmura AND Roberto Bolli
Annals 2005 143: 617. [Full Text]  




box Article
 arrow  Table of Contents                
space
 arrow  PDF of this article
(PDFs free after 6 months)
space
 arrow  Related articles in Annals
space
box Services
 arrow  Send comment/rapid response letter
space
 arrow  Notify a friend about this article
space
 arrow  Alert me when this article is cited
space
 arrow  Add to Personal Archive
space
 arrow  Download to Citation Manager
space
 arrow  ACP Search                        
space
 arrow  Get Permissions
space
box Google Scholar
 arrow  Search for Related Content
space
box PubMed
Articles in PubMed by Author:
  arrow  Brophy, J. M.
space
  arrow  Zhang, B.
space
 arrow  Related Articles in PubMed
space
 arrow  PubMed Citation
space
 arrow  PubMed
space


 Home | Current Issue | Past Issues | In the Clinic | ACP Journal Club | CME | Collections | Audio/Video | Mobile | Subscribe | Tools | Help | ACP Online