Clinical use of cyclooxygenase inhibitors impairs vitamin B-6 metabolism.

Background: A low circulating vitamin B-6 concentration, which is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is commonly seen in human inflammation.

Objective: We investigated whether cyclooxygenase inhibitors alter vitamin B-6 metabolism.

Design: To investigate whether subjects taking a cyclooxygenase inhibitor had an altered vitamin B-6 profile, we conducted a cross-sectional study that involved 150 rheumatoid arthritis patients, with and without cyclooxygenase inhibitor treatments.