(openPR) - After over 30 years of use, researchers found that the pain medication Diclofenac causes heart problems. The new data indicates that people who suffer from high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid the drug.

In a new analysis of 23 studies, scientists found that the Diclofenac (also called "Cataflam" and "Voltaren") increased users' chance of heart attack by 40 percent.

The Journal of the American Medical Association released the study findings because of their important cardiac health implications. Sold for over 30 years, Diclofenac is a minor prescription drug in the United States but popular and easily obtained in other countries.

Researchers are firm about getting Diclofenac off the market. Even though the possibility that it will cause heart problems is low, its benefits are few when compared to other similar drugs. The FDA has responded to the diclofenac heart trouble findings, stating that the organization does not deem the new diclofenac data conclusive.

The study included an examination of 7 other pain drugs, including Naproxen (Aleve) and Celebrex. Both drugs fared better than diclofenac, which was the only one shown to pose a risk to cardiovascular health.

The report investigates the effects of a group of drugs called NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The approximate number of people using NSAIDs is 30 million. Of those, very few suffer from heart problems.

Vioxx, belonging to a subset of NSAIDs called Cox-2 inhibitors, had to be removed from the market because it was found to cause heart problems similar to Diclofenac's. The Cox-2 inhibitors are supposedly easier on the stomach than some previously developed NSAID such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

The Cox-2 drugs did well commercially but Merck & Co. had to take Vioxx off the market when they learned that some patients were incurring heart problems.

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