Frequent Use of Pain Relievers Linked to High Blood Pressure in Men

Article in the Wall Street Journal -- Popular Pain Relievers Linked To High Blood Pressure Risk, by Peter Loftus.  Here's an excerpt:

Men who frequently take popular pain relievers are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, a new study suggests.

The study included about 16,000 male health professionals who had no history of hypertension. Over four years, researchers at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston tracked how often the men used the pain relievers acetaminophen, aspirin and those known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Acetaminophen is sold as Tylenol by Johnson & Johnson, Bayer AG sells aspirin, and NSAIDs are sold under many brands, including Wyeth's Advil.

Men who used acetaminophen six to seven days per week had a 34% higher risk of developing hypertension compared with nonusers, according to the study. Those using NSAIDs with the same frequency had a 38% greater risk of hypertension, while the risk was 26% greater for aspirin, according to the study.

BGS