RESEARCHERS at the University of Nottingham have warned against repeated use of paracetamol in people aged 65 and over because it can lead to serious health complications, particularly peptic ulcers, heart failure, hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
The study provided evidence suggesting that repeated use of acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, in people aged 65 and older could have hidden side effects, calling into question its perceived safety.
The study, recently published in the medical journal Arthritis Care and Research, highlights the need for caution when prescribing acetaminophen for chronic pain conditions such as osteoarthritis in older adults.
The study analyzed data from participants aged 65 years and older with a median age of 75 years from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink-Gold. They had been registered with a UK GP for at least one year between 1998 and 2018.
They examined the medical records of 180,483 people who had been repeatedly prescribed acetaminophen more than twice in the six months during the study. Their health outcomes were then compared to those of 402,478 people of the same age who had never been repeatedly prescribed paracetamol.
There was a 24 percent increase in the risk of peptic ulcer bleeding, a 36 percent increase in the risk of lower gastrointestinal bleeding: a 19 percent increase in the risk of chronic kidney disease, a 9 percent increase in the risk of heart failure and a 7 percent increase in the risk of hypertension.
This is particularly concerning given the prevalence of kidney problems in older populations.
Professor Weiya Zhang, who led the research team from the University of Nottingham School of Medicine, said in a comment that the study finding should prompt a rethink of the perceived safety of paracetamol as a first-line treatment for chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, especially for older adults, as it may provide limited pain relief but increase the risk of serious complications.
“Considering that it has little effect on pain and causes significant side effects, healthcare providers should weigh its use against the risks,” he said.
Previously, researchers at the University of California, Davis explored the drug's impact on cardiovascular health and said that even at safe doses equivalent to 500 mg/day, the changes that acetaminophen causes in heart tissue could lead to long-term heart problems. , particularly due to oxidative stress and increased toxins as the drug is broken down.
Therefore, they emphasized the importance of using paracetamol at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time to minimize risks.