Paracetamol: A Study Highlights A Dangerous Side Effect
It is not recommended to consume too much paracetamol, especially for people with high blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure would take a significant risk by swallowing paracetamol tablets. This is indicated by a British study, the results of which were published in Capital magazine. Paracetamol is generally indicated in cases of pain and fever. It is therefore often used to relieve headaches, body aches, flu-like symptoms, sore throats, etc. It is even given to children when they have teething or a low fever. On the other hand, it is useful to remember that self-medication is a habit to be avoided. Indeed, you should always seek the advice of your doctor before swallowing a paracetamol tablet, even if the latter is available over the counter in all pharmacies.
So what does this study say, exactly? First of all, you should know that it was funded by The British Heart Foundation. In fact, researchers have been funded to find a correlation between taking paracetamol and increased blood pressure. The results are amazing.
Four weeks of study
The study was conducted for four weeks by English researchers. How did they proceed? For two weeks, they administered, daily, 4 grams per day of paracetamol, to 100 volunteer patients. Either take 1 gram of paracetamol, every 6 hours, as recommended. At the end of these two weeks, the researchers made their guinea pigs swallow a placebo.
Undeniably, they assessed that blood pressure increased significantly in hypertensives. The systolic pressure (the value of the pressure in the artery when the heart contracts) would increase by 5 mm Hg and the diastolic pressure (the value of the pressure in the artery when the heart is at rest) would increase, it , up 1.5 mm Hg.
Therefore, taking paracetamol would increase the risk of cardiovascular problems in these people. The researchers therefore advise individuals with hypertension to ask their doctor about the usefulness of taking paracetamol as a long-term treatment.
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