[ad_1]
The flu has so far infected more than 6 million Americans this season and colds are spreading throughout the winter. If you have been struck by either case, you may want to visit your local pharmacy to relieve muscle pain and congestion.
But before that, you need to ask yourself how some over-the-counter cold medications can impact your heart.
"People suffering from high blood pressure or uncontrolled heart disease should avoid taking oral decongestants," said Sondra DePalma, medical badistant at Pinnacle Pinnacle's PinnacleHealth Cardiovascular Institute in New York. Pennsylvania. "And for the general population or someone with low cardiovascular risk, they should use them with the advice of a health care provider."
DePalma co-authored the guidelines published in 2017 by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, focused on the management of high blood pressure in adults. Decongestants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are found in many cold medicines, were among the drugs that could increase blood pressure.
Decongestants – such as pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine – contract the blood vessels. They allow less fluid in your sinuses, "what makes you dry out," said Dr. Erin Michos, deputy director of preventive cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Center Ciccarone for the Prevention of Heart Disease in Baltimore.
"But if you have high blood pressure or heart disease, the last thing you need is to tighten the blood vessels," she said. "It can aggravate or aggravate the situation."
The main concerns are those who have had a heart attack or stroke, heart failure or uncontrolled high blood pressure, said Michos.
But research on NSAIDs suggests that apparently healthy people may also be at risk.
A study published in 2017 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases focused on nearly 10,000 people with respiratory infections who were hospitalized for a heart attack. The participants were on average 72 years old at the time of their heart attack and many of them had cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes and hypertension. The researchers found that people who took NSAIDs while being sick were three times more likely to have a heart attack in one week than the same period about a year ago, when participants were neither sick nor taking an NSAID. .
This may be due to the compound effect.
The simple fact of having a cold or the flu puts the cardiovascular system to the test. Fighting the disease increases the heart rate and causes inflammation. Moreover, NSAIDs, which carry a warning label on the increased risk of heart attack or stroke, can cause problems by reducing the amount of sodium excreted by the urine, which which increases fluid retention and blood pressure, said DePalma.
NSAIDs can be particularly risky for people with heart disease or heart failure, Michos added. Patients should use the two clbades of drugs – decongestants and NSAIDs – wisely and understand the potential side effects.
For decongestants, recommendations for blood pressure suggest using them for as long as possible or using an alternative solution such as saline or antihistamines to help with congestion. Decongestants should not be taken more than seven days before consulting a health care provider, DePalma said.
The instructions recommend avoiding NSAIDs taken in tablet form. Topical NSAIDs and acetaminophen are recommended alternatives.
"There are effective therapies that are less risky and must be tried first," DePalma said. "If other over-the-counter medications are needed, use them with caution. And if a person discovers that she has problems like high blood pressure or other things like heart palpitations, she should talk to her health care provider.
If the symptoms are mild or moderate, rest and drink plenty of fluids, said Michos. Preventing dehydration should help reduce muscle aches, eliminate mucus and may reduce the need for decongestants.
To avoid getting sick, Michos recommends washing your hands frequently and sleeping well, especially during the cold and flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend an annual influenza vaccine for all people 6 months of age and older, and a pneumonia vaccine for children under 2 years of age and adults 65 years and older.
Source link
