Sodium-Containing Acetaminophen Is Associated with Increased Cardiovascular Events

Increased risk occurred in patients both with and without preexisting hypertension.

Oral acetaminophen is available in several forms, including an effervescent form meant to provide faster absorption. The effervescent form, however, contains a significant amount of sodium that may affect blood pressure. To study this, investigators evaluated anonymized data from 790 general practices in the U.K. comprising some 17 million patients. The researchers analyzed data from individuals 60–90 years of age who had been prescribed acetaminophen at least 1 year earlier.

A total of 9883 patients were prescribed sodium-containing acetaminophen (effervescent acetaminophen), including 4532 with hypertension and 5351 without; 294,165 patients were prescribed non–sodium-containing formulations, including 146,866 with hypertension and 147,299…

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)