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Hypertensive
patients who use low-dose aspirin for its well-known heart
protective effects can do so knowing that it won't hinder
their blood pressure medications, according to a study reported
in the Journal of Hypertension.
"It
is well known that NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs) may reduce the antihypertensive effect of drugs such
as diuretics or angiotensin conmverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors,"
Dr. Lennart Hansson, a clinical hypertension researcher at
Uppsala University in Sweden told Medical Week. "Regarding
the most widely used anti-inflammatory drug, aspirin, little
has been known."
After
studying 18,790 intensively-treated hypertensive patients
who either received 75 mg of aspirin daily or a placebo for
3.8 years, a contingent of European researchers including
Hansson found the differences in systolic and diastolic blood
pressure of both groups to be clinically irrelevant.
"In
the…study we could show that the antihypertensive efficacy
of several antihypertensive drugs was not negatively affected
by concomitant, low-dose, administration of aspirin,"
Lennart said. "This is important clinical information
since numerous patients world-wide use both antihypertensive
medications and aspirin."
Source:
Hypertension
Week of June 16, 2002
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