Effects of celecoxib on volumes of hematoma and edema in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage

Celecoxib is a potent anti-inflammatory drug with a safety profile that has been well-demonstrated in several human diseases and is reported to have beneficial effects in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We investigated the efficacy and safety of celecoxib treatment in patients with primary ICH. We retrospectively collected clinical data of patients admitted within 48 h after the onset of primary ICH. We classified the patients administered celecoxib (400 mg/day) for ≥ 7 days as the celecoxib-treated group (n = 17) and classified the patients who were not administered celecoxib as the control group (n = 17). The volumes of hematoma and edema were analyzed with initial and follow-up (at approximately 7 days) brain CT scans. Baseline characteristics, initial severity of neurologic sequelae, and initial volumes of the lesions were not different between the groups. Celecoxib treatment significantly reduced the volumes of edema noted on follow-up brain CT scans as compared with the volumes in the control group (30.2 ± 17.7 vs. 55.5 ± 40.6 mL, p = 0.027) and also reduced the ratio of initial hematoma and edema volumes vs. the follow-up volumes as compared with those of the control group (hematoma, 0.90 ± 0.29 vs. 1.54 ± 1.12, p = 0.035; edema, 0.95 ± 0.32 vs. 2.08 ± 0.88, p < 0.001). The incidences of adverse events during the admission were not different between the groups. These results suggest that celecoxib may be safe and efficacious in patients with primary ICH. To confirm this notion, a large-sized prospective study should be performed.