In a recent study, researchers found that one common drug for treating high blood pressure is linked to skin cancer.
They found that the blood pressure drug contains hydrochlorothiazide, which is linked to an increased risk for skin cancer.
The study is conducted by researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Cancer Society.
Hydrochlorothiazide is one of the most commonly used medicines to reduce blood pressure both in the U.S. and in Western Europe.
Over ten million people use the drug annually in the U.S.
Previous research from the team has found that the drug could increase the risk of lip cancer.
In the current study, the team aimed to examine the link between this drug and skin cancer risk.
They examined 80,000 Danish cases of skin cancer.
The researchers found a clear connection between the use of this blood pressure drug and the risk of developing skin cancer.
The risk of developing skin cancer is up to seven times greater for users of medicine containing hydrochlorothiazide.
The team explains that hydrochlorothiazide can make the skin more vulnerable to damage from the sun’s UV rays.
But it is still surprising that long-term use of this blood pressure medicine could lead to a big increase in the risk of skin cancer.
Both lip and skin cancer are typically treated with an operation that is linked to a certain risk of impairment as well as a small, but real, risk that skin cancer of the squamous cell type spreads.
The side effects can, therefore, affect numerous people.
The researchers have calculated that about 10% of all Danish cases of squamous cell carcinoma may be caused by hydrochlorothiazide.
They have also looked at other commonly used hypertension medicines, but none of them increased the risk of skin cancer.
In the future, the researchers plan to work on studies that can shed additional light on the connection between hydrochlorothiazide and skin cancer.
Researcher Anton Pottegård is the initiator of the study.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.