According to a new study, occasional use of aspirin, acetaminophen, or other pain relievers for everyday aches and pains is not associated with kidney dysfunction among healthy men.
As analgesic use is so common, even small increases in the relative risk of renal dysfunction could have a significant impact on rates of renal disease.Some earlier studies have suggested that regular use of popular pain killers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) may increase the risk of chronic kidney problems in healthy patients.
Researches at Women's hospital in Boston analyzed the use of these pain relievers among 11,032 men with no history of kidney problems. They compared analgesic use to measured creatitine levels and creatitine clearance from blood samples provided by the men. A total of 450 men had elevated creatinine levels and 1258 men had reduced creatinine clearance.
They found no significant associations between the use of pain killers and either elevated creatinine levels or reduced creatinine clearance. Thus, occasional or moderate use of pain relievers or NSAIDs is not associated with kidney dysfunction.
