Long-term use of paracetamol in people with arterial hypertension may result in complications in the form of a heart attack and stroke, suggest a study by specialists at the University of Edinburgh. Acute paracetamol use is not dangerous, they add.
- Paracetamol increases blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke – according to the latest research conducted in Edinburgh under the supervision of prof. James Dear
- Another – American – study found that long-term use of paracetamol was associated with a higher risk of a heart attack
- While scientists have yet to describe the exact mechanism that causes acetaminophen to raise blood pressure, they warn patients and doctors against taking it uncontrolledly.
- The authors of the studies reassure: the use of paracetamol on an ad hoc basis and periodically is safe
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Paracetamol is generally a safe pain reliever and antipyretic and is often used for headaches or fever. In such cases, when the drug is taken within a short period of time, usually for several days, it is safe to use it. It is about taking paracetamol for many months by people with high blood pressure.
Specialists under the supervision of prof. James Dear of the University of Edinburgh in the pages of the magazine “Circulation” warns against the long-term use of paracetamol. At the request of the British Heart Foundation, they studied 110 volunteers, two-thirds of whom were taking antihypertensive drugs. In randomized observations, some of them received 1 g of paracetamol four times a day for two weeks. The rest of the study participants at the same time took only a placebo (a medicine that had a neutral effect, but looked like an active tablet).
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Prof. James Dear claims that acetaminophen more than placebo increased blood pressure, which is a significant risk factor for heart attack and stroke. It was not a big increase, but so significant that it cannot be underestimated. Therefore, the specialist suggests that in long-term analgesic use, doctors recommend the use of paracetamol in the first phase of treatment in as low a dose as possible. Patients with hypertension should be carefully monitored.
Arthritis is one of the main reasons for taking painkillers. In Scotland, in 2018, doctors prescribed one of these types of preparations to 0,5 million patients, i.e. one in ten citizens of this country.
BBC News reminds you of another large study previously conducted in the US – which found that long-term use of paracetamol is associated with a higher risk of heart attack. However, it has not been shown that there is a causal relationship between them. Similarly, in a recent study, as pointed out by de Dipender Gill of the University of London: there is no certainty that acetaminophen is causing high blood pressure, and if so, it is not yet certain that it causes cardiovascular disease.
Edinburgh University specialists admit that they cannot explain how acetaminophen may increase blood pressure. However, they believe that their study should lead to more careful prescribing of this drug to patients. It is considered to be safer than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen – suspected to increase blood pressure in some people.
The British Heart Foundation points out that physicians and patients alike should always carefully consider whether they need to take any drug “considered relatively safe like paracetamol”. Dr. Richard Francis of the Stroke Association points out that another study with paracetamol should be carried out in healthy people, without hypertension, to confirm the safety of long-term use of this drug. (PAP)
Author: Zbigniew Wojtasiński
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