Long-Term Paracetamol Use Has Been Linked To An Increase In Blood Pressure

According to a study, people with high blood pressure who take paracetamol on prescription may be increasing their risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Doctors should consider the dangers and benefits of giving it to patients over a long period of time, according to University of Edinburgh experts.

They emphasize that taking the painkiller for headaches and fevers is safe.

Other experts believe that more people need to be studied over a longer period of time to corroborate the findings.

Despite no evidence of its effectiveness for long-term usage, paracetamol is extensively used around the world as a short-term treatment for aches and pains and is also recommended to manage chronic pain.

In Scotland, half a million people - one out of every ten - were given the painkiller.

One in every three people in the United Kingdom suffers from high blood pressure.

The study followed 110 participants, two-thirds of whom were on blood pressure medication, or hypertension.

They were given 1g of paracetamol four times a day for two weeks - a normal dose for chronic pain patients - and then dummy tablets, or placebo, for another two weeks in a randomized experiment.

According to Edinburgh clinical pharmacologist Prof James Dear, paracetamol increased blood pressure far more than a placebo, making it "one of the most major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes."

The researchers recommend that doctors start patients with persistent pain on the lowest possible dose of paracetamol and monitor them closely.