A common over-the-counter pain killer, paracetamol does not work in the treatment of osteoarthritis, a joint disorder afflicting tens of millions of elderly people, revealed a new study.
When taken on its own to alleviate pain or enhance mobility, the drug was found to be only marginally -- and insignificantly -- better than a dummy pill, according to a broad survey of 74 clinical trials covering nearly 60,000 patients.
Use of Paracetamol During Pregnancy Increases Child’s Asthma Risk
Nearly 6% of children at the age of 3 and 5% of children at the age of 7 developed asthma if their mothers used paracetamol during pregnancy.
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‘The commonly used pain killer paracetamol does not help manage pain in osteoarthritis at any dosage levels.’
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"Our results suggest that paracetamol at any dose is not effective in managing pain in osteoarthritis," said Sven Trelle, the main architect of the meta-study and a researcher at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
Trelle and colleagues evaluated eight different non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, taken individually in different doses and in combination with other medications.
![Prolonged Paracetamol Use During Pregnancy Leads to Reproductive Problems in Male Babies]( "Prolonged Paracetamol Use During Pregnancy Leads to Reproductive Problems in Male Babies")
Pregnant women should follow current guidance that the painkiller, paracetamol, should be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time.
The drug that worked best for arthritis, they found, was diclofenac, sold in different countries under the brand names Voltaren, Aclonac and Cataflam.
The results were published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease and the leading cause of pain among older people.
It occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time, causing acute stiffness and pain. The most common joints affected are in the hands, knees, hips and spine.
The condition gradually worsens, and no cure exists.
Among people over the age of 60, it affects about 18 percent of women and 9.5 percent of men.
"This finding is not entirely unexpected," noted Nicholas Moore and three colleagues from the department of pharmacology at the University of Bordeaux in southwestern France.
"Paracetamol has been on the market for as long as most of us remember. It efficacy has never been properly established or quantified in chronic diseases," they wrote in a comment, also published in The Lancet.
Source: AFP
Prolonged Paracetamol Use During Pregnancy Leads to Reproductive Problems in Male Babies
Pregnant women should follow current guidance that the painkiller, paracetamol, should be taken at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time.
Advertisement
The drug that worked best for arthritis, they found, was diclofenac, sold in different countries under the brand names Voltaren, Aclonac and Cataflam.
The results were published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease and the leading cause of pain among older people.
It occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time, causing acute stiffness and pain. The most common joints affected are in the hands, knees, hips and spine.
The condition gradually worsens, and no cure exists.
Among people over the age of 60, it affects about 18 percent of women and 9.5 percent of men.
"This finding is not entirely unexpected," noted Nicholas Moore and three colleagues from the department of pharmacology at the University of Bordeaux in southwestern France.
"Paracetamol has been on the market for as long as most of us remember. It efficacy has never been properly established or quantified in chronic diseases," they wrote in a comment, also published in The Lancet.
Source: AFP
Flu Sufferers May Not Benefit With the Common Drug ‘Paracetamol’
Paracetamol is neither beneficial nor harmful as it did not show any significant differences between the paracetamol and placebo groups.
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Overuse of Paracetamol-Based Drugs is Putting Kids at RiskParents were overusing paracetamol to treat mild fevers. As a result, the risk of developing asthma, as well as kidney, heart and liver damage is heightened. | Advertisement
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