According to a recent study by experts from the University of Nottingham, those 65 and older who use paracetamol for an extended period of time may be more susceptible to kidney, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal problems.
When administering repeated doses of paracetamol for chronic illnesses such as osteoarthritis in older persons, care must be taken, according to the findings published in Arthritis Care and Research.
The study examined data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink-Gold under the direction of Professor Weiya Zhang of the University’s School of Medicine’s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. It includes people who were enrolled with UK general practices between 1998 and 2018 and were 65 years of age or older, with an average age of 75.
The study looked at the medical records of 180,483 patients who had been prescribed paracetamol at least twice in a six-month period and contrasted their results with those of 402,478 people in the same age group who had not been taken the medication on multiple occasions.
The findings showed a correlation between long-term paracetamol usage and an increased risk of heart failure, hypertension, peptic ulcers, and chronic kidney disease.
Professor Zhang highlighted the significance of these findings by saying that although more research is required to validate these findings, the limited pain-relieving effects of paracetamol call for a careful reevaluation of its use as a first-line treatment for chronic illnesses like osteoarthritis in elderly patients.
