High blood pressure is a major health problem that affects about 1 in 10 adults around the world.
People with high blood pressure often need to make lifestyle changes and take medicine to keep their condition under control.
Now, researchers from Imperial College London have found that some blood pressure drugs might be linked to bowel issues. Because millions of people take these medications, it’s important to understand any possible side effects.
The study, led by Dr. Dipender Gill, used a unique way to look at this question. Instead of directly studying how the drugs affect the body, the team looked at genes.
They searched for genetic differences in people that act like the effects of certain blood pressure drugs. Then, they used a large health dataset from about 750,000 people to see what those gene differences might tell us about side effects.
They looked at three common types of blood pressure drugs: ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers. These are medicines many people take every day to lower blood pressure.
The researchers found something interesting in one group of calcium channel blockers, known as non-dihydropyridine drugs. People with genetic markers similar to the effects of these drugs seemed to have a higher chance of developing bowel problems.
The researchers think this may be because these drugs affect the muscles in the intestines, which help move food through the digestive system.
Even though this link was found, the researchers say it’s too early to make changes to how doctors prescribe these medications. This study is just the beginning of a conversation, not a final answer.
If you are taking blood pressure medicine, don’t stop or change your medication without speaking to your doctor. The risks of not treating high blood pressure—such as heart attacks and strokes—are far more serious than the possible risk of bowel problems.
This study shows how complicated our bodies are and how medicines can sometimes have effects in places we don’t expect. By learning more about these effects, scientists hope to make better and safer treatments in the future.
For now, it’s important for doctors and patients to talk openly about the pros and cons of any medicine and work together to find what’s best for each person.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about breakfast for better blood pressure management, and the gut feeling that lowers blood pressure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how the dash diet helps lower blood pressure, and how to eat your way to healthy blood pressure.
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