Taking Paracetamol every day may raise risk of deadly heart attack or stroke: Study

LONDON Feb 8: Taking a paracetamol every day could raise your risk of a deadly heart attack or stroke by about a fifth, researchers have warned.

For years, doctors have considered paracetamol to be a safer alternative to other painkillers like ibuprofen — which can raise blood pressure.

But now University of Edinburgh scientists have turned this belief on its head after finding that paracetamol has a similar negative effect, according to reports on BBC and Daily Mail.

A first-of-its-kind trial found just four days of taking paracetamol causes a clinically significant hike in blood pressure.

From this they calculated that regular paracetamol use — about 4g a day, or eight standard tablets — could increase the risk of heart disease or stroke by around 20 per cent.

However, the researches have insisted taking the occasional paracetamol — known as acetaminophen in the US — to deal with a headache or fever is safe.

Their study, based on just 110 participants, only looked at those who were already suffering from high blood pressure.

Doctors should review prescription doses of patients prescribed paracetamol over long periods of time, according to the team. And this is especially important for those at high risk of heart disease.