Painkillers raise blood pressure in women-US study

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Painkillers raise blood pressure in women-US study

15 Aug 2005 19:59:41 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Women who take higher doses of common,

over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen and even Tylenol have

higher blood pressure than women who do not, U.S. researchers reported

on Monday.

Only aspirin did not raise the risk of high blood pressure among the

women, who were followed for three to four years to see which ones

developed high blood pressure.

The researchers said their findings, published in the journal

Hypertension, add to a growing list of research that suggests all

painkillers, prescription and non-prescription, carry health risks and

should be used carefully.

This includes acetaminophen or paracetamol, sold by &

Co. <JNJ.N> under the brand name Tylenol.

" In our study, women who took 500 milligrams (mg) or more of

acetaminophen per day, on average, were about twice as likely to

develop high blood pressure as women who did not use acetaminophen, "

said Dr. Forman of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and

Women's Hospital in Boston, who led the study.

" In addition, older women, ages 51 to 77, who used an average of 400

mg or more per day of ibuprofen were about 80 percent more likely to

develop high blood pressure compared to older women who did not use

this drug, " Forman added in a statement.

" Younger women, ages 34 to 53, who used more than 400 mg a day of

ibuprofen had a 60 percent higher chance of developing high blood

pressure. "

For their study, Forman and colleagues studied one group of 1,903

women aged 51 to 77 and a second group of younger women aged between 34

and 53. The women did not have high blood pressure then the studies

began but were regularly questioned about various aspects of their

health and lifestyle, including what drugs they took, and watched.

The study is especially important as prescription drugs called COX-2

inhibitors have also been shown to raise the risk of blood pressure,

stroke and heart attack. Patients were turning to over-the-counter

alternatives, despite evidence that these can cause gastrointestinal

bleeding and can also raise blood pressure.

AWARENESS OF RISKS

" I am not advocating that these medications be abandoned. People with

chronic pain need to be able to treat their pain, " Forman asked in a

telephone interview.

" But probably most people go in and see them on the shelf and think

they have no risks and that they are completely safe because they are

available without a prescription. "

The findings held whether women used the drugs for headache, arthritis

or other aches and pains.

They could explain why high blood pressure, which itself raises the

risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure, is so common in the

United States.

While aspirin has been shown to prevent heart disease, the research is

murkier on the other drugs, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory

drugs or NSAIDS. Acetaminophen was not believed to affect heart risk

either way.

But Forman's team noted that acetaminophen and NSAIDS can affect

endothelial function -- altering the healthy workings of the linings of

blood vessels.

NSAIDS, except for aspirin, do this by affecting compounds produced in

the body called prostaglandins.

" Although aspirin also inhibits prostaglandin synthesis, it has not

been associated with endothelial dysfunction. On the contrary, aspirin

may improve endothelial function, as has been documented in patients

with atherosclerosis, " the researchers wrote.

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