Frequent, long-term paracetamol use could double women’s risk
of hypertension
Paracetamol use may almost double the risk of developing hypertension among women taking more than 500mg daily over five years, irrespective of age, according to a new analysis from the Nurses Health Study published this week (Hypertension 2005;46:500).
Risk of hypertension was also increased among women who took ibuprofen
400mg daily — by almost 80 per cent if they were aged over 50 years
and by 60 per cent if they were younger than 50. Aspirin did not increase
risks of hypertension at any age.
The study, conducted by John Forman, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital,
Boston, and colleagues, looked at the development of hypertension in
more than 5,000 women who were free of the disease before the study began
and who were taking higher doses of paracetamol, non-selective non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin. The frequency of analgesic use and
incidence of diagnosed hypertension were determined through questionnaires.
Among 1,903 women aged between 51 and 77 years from the first Nurses
Health Study cohort, the relative risk of developing hypertension with
paracetamol use was 1.93 (95 per cent confidence interval, 1.30–2.88)
and with ibuprofen was 1.78 (1.21–2.61).
Among women aged 34 to 53 years from the second Nurses Health Study cohort,
the relative risk of developing hypertension among paracetamol users
was 1.99 (1.39–2.85). For ibuprofen use the relative risk was 1.60
(1.10–2.32). Similar results were found in an analysis
of women aged 31 to 50 years conducted in 2002 (PJ, 2 November 2002, p631).
Andrew Dickman, specialist principal pharmacist, palliative care team,
Whiston Hospital, Merseyside, commented: “Given the widespread
use of paracetamol and previous lack of correlation between hypertension
and paracetamol ingestion, I would view these results with caution and
would like to see the results of a randomised double blind controlled
trial before warning patients.” |
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Pharmaceutical Journal
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