Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Increase the Risk of High Blood Pressure in Men
Frequent use of acetaminophen, NSAIDs and aspirin linked to increase in incidence of hypertension
Boston, MA – Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that the three most commonly used drugs in the United States, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin, increase the risk of developing high blood pressure in middle-aged men. These findings are published in the February 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
“Given the high levels of consumption of these drugs and the increasing rate of hypertension, these over-the-counter analgesics should be taken with greater caution,” says John P. Forman, MD, of the Renal Division at BWH. “This is a potentially preventable cause of high blood pressure.”
Researchers analyzed questionnaires from 16,031 men with a mean age of 65 years old without a history of high blood pressure at baseline who are part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Respondents to the questionnaires were queried about their frequency of use of acetaminophen, NSAIDs and aspirin as well as new diagnosis of hypertension by a clinician. Forman and his colleagues observed a significant independent association between the frequency of analgesic use and risk of hypertension among all three classes of drugs studied. Specifically researchers report that compared to men who didn’t take that analgesic:
· Men who took acetaminophen six to seven days per week had a 34% increased risk of hypertension
· Men who took NSAIDs six to seven days per week had a 38% increased risk of hypertension
· Men who took aspirin six to seven days per week had a 26% increased risk of hypertension
· The number of analgesic pills taken per week as well as the frequency of use were associated with a similar increase risk of hypertension
These findings are consistent with previous results found in women in the Nurses’ Health Studies.
This research was funded by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.
For more information, contact BWH Media Relations at (617) 534-1600 or BWHMediaRelations@partners.org.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is a 747-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare System, an integrated health care delivery network. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 800 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $400M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit www.brighamandwomens.org.
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