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news.Men who regularly take commonly available and widely used pain relievers may have an increased risk of high blood pressure, according to a new study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin are among the most commonly used drugs in the US.
The study followed a total of male health professionals who did not have a history of high blood pressure.
Compared with men who did not take analgesics, those who took acetaminophen six or seven days a week had a 34% higher risk of hypertension. Those who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) six or seven days a week had a 38% higher risk and those who took aspirin six or seven days a week had a 26% higher risk. Additionally compared with men who took no pills, those who took 15 or more pills each week had a 48% higher risk of hypertension.
“These data add further support to the hypothesis that non-narcotic analgesics independently elevate the risk of hypertension,” the authors write.
“Given their common consumption and the high prevalence of hypertension, our results may have substantial public health implications and suggest that these agents be used with greater caution. The contribution of non-narcotic analgesics to the hypertension disease burden merits further study.”