MEDIA RELEASE
8th March 2007
HYPERTENSION STUDY AND NSAIDs
An observational study published in the February 26 issue of the
Archives of Internal Medicine reports "use of common pain
relievers (is) associated with
increased risk of elevated blood pressure in men." John P.
Forman, M.Sc., M.D., of Brigham and Women’s 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.
These findings must be carefully interpreted due to the inherent
limitations of any observational study and the inability to determine
a direct cause and effect
relationship from these findings. It is generally believed that
all NSAIDs may have the potential to positively or negatively
effect hypertension. As such, the Aspirin Foundation advises monitoring
when NSAIDs are used regularly, particularly in at-risk patients.
The Aspirin Foundation agrees with the authors that this is an
area in need of further study. Aspirin remains one of the most
extensively studied drugs in history, with a
100-year track record of safety and efficacy across a range of
doses; when used as directed, aspirin provides meaningful benefits,
is safe and effective and is rarely associated with clinically
significant side effects. It is the only over-the-counter pain
reliever to provide cardiovascular benefits.
In two recent studies, aspirin did not appear to cause hypertension
and, in fact, some researchers believe that timed administration
of low-dose ASA could
provide an additional approach for BP control of certain patients
with mild essential hypertension. In a paper published in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Ramon Hermida
and colleagues reported that aspirin given at bedtime may reduce
blood pressure in untreated hypertensive patients.
[Hermida RC, et al, J Am Coll Cardiol 2005] This is an area requiring
further research. Also, in a recent Hypertension study by Forman
and colleagues, the
same lead author of today’s report, also found that aspirin
did not increase the risk of hypertension in women. (Forman JP,
et al. Hypertension 2005)
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