- CHICAGO (Reuters) -- Long-term,
habitual use of the painkiller acetaminophen may cause a decline in kidney
function in some people, a study of middle-aged women said today.
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- Overall, one in 10 of the 1,700 women studied over 11
years experienced a 30 percent decline in their kidney's filtration function.
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- Acetaminophen, which is sold under the brand name Tylenol
by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and also marketed generically,
was alone among commonly used painkillers to show an association with kidney
impairment.
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- "Our findings should not prompt people to discontinue
using acetaminophen," said study author Gary Curhan of Brigham and
Women's Hospital in Boston.
-
- "Instead, this study suggests a need for the medical
community to consider alternative pain therapies that may help patients
avoid long-term dependence on these drugs until we clearly understand the
potential side effects.
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- "The good news is that, based on this research,
it appears that for the vast majority of women, most pain relievers are
safe for the kidney," Curhan said.
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- In the study, which was published in The Archives of
Internal Medicine, found that women who had taken between 1,500 and 9,000
tablets over their lifetimes raised their risk of kidney impairment by
64 percent.
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- For those who took more than 9,000 tablets, the risk
more than doubled.
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- There was no association in this study between kidney
impairment and aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs known collectively
as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but some previous research
has shown a connection.
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- "Pain relievers are used commonly, especially among
women," Curhan said. "As a growing number of patients take painkillers
on a regular basis to alleviate chronic pain or to prevent heart disease
and stroke, it is important for clinicians to fully appreciate that these
medications may also have adverse effects on an individual's long-term
health."
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