Key result
Acetaminophen meta-analysis reports no quantitative results for ambulatory blood pressure versus placebo.
Why the study?
Studies assessing the effect of acetaminophen on blood pressure have been limited, and observational studies have yielded contradictory results.
Meta-Analysis
Acetaminophen raises systolic BP in at-risk patients; warrants caution with long-term use and larger outcome trials.
Acetaminophen is one of the most widely used over the counter medications, used for its analgesic and antipyretic properties. It has been widely utilized in part because of its favourable safety profile. It is often weighed against non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and although it lacks the anti-inflammatory effects, it has been thought to be a safer medication for long term use. The side effects are generally mild and include nausea, headache, stomach pain, and a rash, while the most serious side effect is liver toxicity which does not occur unless taken in large quantities.1 One potential effect of acetaminophen that has not been well studied is its effect on blood pressure. NSAIDs have been known to raise blood pressure,2 but there have been limited studies looking at the effect of acetaminophen on blood pressure. Observational studies have shown contradictory results regarding the effect of acetaminophen on blood pressure. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomized studies to compare the effect of acetaminophen vs. placebo on systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure.
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Gupta et al. (2022) reported a meta-analysis. Acetaminophen vs. Placebo was evaluated on Systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure. The abstract describes a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the effect of acetaminophen versus placebo on ambulatory blood pressure, but does not report any quantitative results.
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