A new United Kingdom (UK) study has revealed that prolonged paracetamol use in individuals 65 years and older increases the risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular (CDV), and renal complications.

The findings of the study have been published in the journal ‘Arthritis Care and Research’.

The researchers at the University of Nottingham in the UK analysed data from UK GP records, finding that repeated paracetamol prescriptions were linked to higher instances of peptic ulcers, heart failure, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.

“New research, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that repeated doses of paracetamol in people aged 65 and over, can lead to an increased risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and renal complications,” an official statement from the University has found.

“Due to its perceived safety, paracetamol has long been recommended as the first line drug treatment for osteoarthritis by many treatment guidelines, especially in older people who are at higher risk of drug-related complications,” said the lead author Professor Weiya Zhang, from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham.”