Paracetamol Is Not Safe For Older People, Finds Study

Paracetamol is a common fever and pain medication. Pharmacies, supermarkets, and other stores sell it over-the-counter. It is not as safe as we thought, especially for the elderly.

Incidence of side effects associated with acetaminophen in people 65 years or older: a prospective cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, by University of Nottingham experts, found that repeated paracetamol doses can increase the risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal complications.

The Arthritis Care and Research study suggest taking care after repeated doses wherever necessary. If not, older people may develop chronic pain like osteoarthritis.

What did the study reveal? Professor Weiya Zhang of Nottingham's School of Medicine's NIHR Biomedical Research Centre led the study.

According to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink-Gold, participants aged 65 and older had an average age of 75. They were registered with a UK GP practise for at least a year between 1998 and 2018.

Paracetamol—what? It is used to treat mild to moderate pain but does not treat the cause. It reduces pain. Fever, backache, headache, migraine, period pain, toothache, and cold/flu symptoms are also treated with it.

Its panadol, calpol, and alvedon make it an analgesic and antipyretic like acetaminophen or Tylenol. It reduces pain or temperature in 30 minutes and has been used for over 70 years. It usually lasts 4–6 hours.

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