We have been using paracetamol for more than a century. We continue to find side effects

Paracetamol is one of the most important drugs in our daily lives. It has been relieving pain and keeping fever at bay for more than 100 years and usually leads the list of the most consumed medications. However, like any medication, paracetamol or acetaminophen has its potential side effects.

Reassessing security. Now, a study led by researchers at the University of Nottingham has detected new risks associated with prolonged use of the drug. The study was carried out among people over 65 years of age. The analysis detected greater risks associated with gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and kidney health.

One of the most used drugs. Paracetamol is one of the most used drugs, among other reasons because of its relative safety. It is a compound used as an analgesic and antipyretic, that is, to relieve moderate intensity pain and reduce fever.

The drug has potential adverse effects, but generally the greatest associated risk has to do with liver damage and occurs with excessive consumption of the compound.

Defining the risks. The team responsible for the study observed that among participants who had received several prescriptions for paracetamol, the risk of suffering from gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and kidney health problems increased. Problems such as bleeding ulcers, uncomplicated peptic ulcers, bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract, heart failure, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.

The increase in the prevalence of these conditions varied from one to another, but in all cases the results showed significant trends.

From 65? There are several issues to take into account when interpreting the results of the study and that have to do with its methodology. According to the team responsible for the study, it was carried out with people over 65 years of age: 180,483 participants who had received several medical prescriptions for the drug and 402,478 who had not.

The team focused on people over 65 to achieve greater control of consumption since, as it is a medication that does not require a prescription, controlling its consumption is more complicated. In the United Kingdom, people over 65 years of age can purchase the drug free of charge with a prescription, which means they are more likely to do so only with a prescription. This also implies that the results are not easily extrapolated to the rest of the population, but the opposite cannot be assumed either.

The details of the analysis were published in an article in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

A worrying trend. It is perfectly common for drugs to present adverse reactions and, although it is strange to discover new effects in a treatment as widespread and consumed as paracetamol, this can serve as a reminder. Even drugs that we see as not very dangerous, such as paracetamol, can present risks, especially in the event of excessive or inappropriate consumption of the compound.

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