Association of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin with cognitive performance in middle-aged adults

Objectives: To assess the cross-sectional association of regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin with cognitive function in 13,153 individuals, aged 48–67 years, participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Methods: Regular use of NSAIDs or aspirin was analyzed in relation to the results of three cognitive tests, the Delayed Word Recall Test, the WAIS-R Digit Symbol Subtest, and the Word Fluency Test. Results: After adjustment for covariates previously found to be associated with cognition in this sample, we found a weak negative association between current use of aspirin and poor Word Recall [OR = 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.68–1.04)] and poor Word Fluency [OR = 0.85 (0.70–1.03)]. We found no association between current use of aspirin and Digit Symbol score, nor did we find current NSAID use to be significantly associated with any of the cognitive tests. Conclusions: This study suggests a modest association, at best, between NSAIDs or aspirin and better cognitive function.