Doctors warn of health risks from high levels of salt in painkillers

Soluble painkillers used by millions of people  could pose a health risk as they contained high levels of salt, UK researchers warn.

A number of formulations when taken at the maximum dose tipped users over the recommended daily sodium intake for an adult, with potentially dangerous consequences, according to the authors of the study.

The work of the researchers led by Dr Jacob George, from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, published in the  weekly open-access peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ (known till 1988 as British Medical Journal) looked at the outcomes for 1.2 million UK patients and found a link between effervescent tablets and heart attacks and stroke.

According to the authors, in the absence of clear labeling on the products, it was impossible to know how much additional sodium one would be consuming.

As against patients who took the same drugs without salt, those who regularly took effervescent or soluble medications upped their risk of having a heart attack, stroke or dying from a vascular cause by a fifth.

The patients were also seven times more likely to develop high blood pressure or hypertension, which according to the researchers was at the root of the problem.

According to Dr George, it was known that high salt caused hypertension and that hypertension led to stroke.

High salt intake has been linked to high blood pressure, or hypertension, which is a key risk factor for strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases.

According to Jacob George, patients, and consumers of over-the-counter medicines - such as soluble aspirin, effervescent vitamin C, or Bayer's Alka Seltzer for example needed to be warned of the potential dangers of high sodium intake in medicines.

George added, doctors needed to be aware of the potential dangers and prescribe fizzy or soluble forms of drugs "with caution, only if the perceived benefits outweigh the risks".

He told Reuters in a telephone interview, that there were many patients who needed to use these formulations, those who had difficulty swallowing large tablets, for example. He said what was needed was for patients to be able to make an informed decision with the help of their doctor.

Although the issue was not without debate, many health experts believed that eating excessive amount of salt was bad for health and numerous studies had linked excess salt intake to high blood pressure, which could lead to strokes and heart attacks.