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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Older Men Regularly Taking Over-the-Counter Pain
Relievers have Risk of High Blood Pressure
Previous studies of women have found similar
results
 Feb. 26, 2007 Older men who regularly take common
over-the-counter pain relievers appear to have an increased risk of high
blood pressure, compared to those who do not use acetaminophen,
ibuprofen or aspirin, according to a study released today in the
February 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals.
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Health & Medicine |
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Acetaminophen (Tylenol,
etc.), ibuprofen (Advil, Medipren,
Motrin, Nuprin, etc.) and aspirin are among the most commonly
used drugs in the United States. Two large studies have recently
suggested that pain-relieving medications (analgesics) may be associated
with an increased risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) in women.
However, the association has not been extensively studied in men.
John P. Forman, M.Sc., M.D., of Brigham and Womens
Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues followed a
total of 16,031 male health professionals (average age 64.6 years) who
did not have a history of high blood pressure.
The men were asked in 2000 and again in 2002 about
whether and how often they used three types of pain relievers:
● acetaminophen,
● non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, which include
ibuprofen and naproxen) and
● aspirin.
They were also asked to report if their physician
had diagnosed them with hypertension.
Over four years of follow-up -
● 1,968 men developed hypertension.
Compared with men who did not take analgesics,
● Those who took acetaminophen six or
seven days a week had a 34 percent higher risk of hypertension.
● Those who took NSAIDs six or seven days
a week had a 38 percent higher risk.
● Those who took aspirin six or seven days a week
had a 26 percent higher risk.
The researchers also looked at the total number of
pain-relieving pills men took each week, regardless of type.
● Compared with men who took no pills, those who
took 15 or more pills each week had a 48 percent higher risk of
hypertension.
Because age is such powerful risk factors for
hypertension, the researchers investigated whether the association
between analgesic use and hypertension varied according to age. They
looked at results for those under 60, 60 to 70 and over 70, but found
little change in the results.
All three types of analgesics may inhibit the
effects of chemicals that relax the blood vessels, decreasing blood
pressure, the authors suggest. Acetaminophen also may impair cell
functioning through high levels of oxygen (oxidative stress) or reduce
the proper functioning of blood vessel lining.
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.
Editor's Note: This study was supported by a
scientist development grant from the American Heart Association and by
grants from the National Institutes of Health.
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