Blood pressure pills used by millions of people worldwide 'increase the risk of lung cancer', warn scientists
Blood pressure pills used by millions of people worldwide 'increase the risk of lung cancer', warn scientists
Patients taking ACE-inhibitors were 14% more likely to develop cancer
The risk increases the longer patients have been on medication
Scientists believe that the drugs cause chemicals to accumulate in the lungs
By: Sophie Borland, health editor for Daily Mail
October 2018
Blood pressure pills taken by millions around the world could increase the risk of lung cancer, a study found. Patients on ACE inhibitors were found to be 14 percent more likely to develop cancer than those on other types of medication. The risk increased over time - which the longer patients were on medication, the risk was increasing. Those who took them for five years were 22 percent more likely to get lung cancer, and that percentage jumped to 31 percent if they took them for ten years. Scientists believe that the drugs cause a chemical called bradykinin to build up in the lungs, which over time leads to to cancer.
The most common ACE inhibitor, Ramipril, was prescribed more than 27 million times in England in 2017. Other common names include captopril, cilazapril, and enalapril.
But other experts doubt this and say that lung cancer could simply develop from patients who smoke while taking these drugs. Up to five million patients in the UK take ACE-inhibitors and they are usually taken for high blood pressure or after a heart attack. The total amount spent on Ramipril in England in 2017 was around £41 million, according to a report from the National Health Service. It is known as Tritace in the UK, but is sold as Altace in the US, where figures show it is prescribed every year about 163 million prescriptions for ACE-inhibitors. They work by reducing the activity of the enzyme that converts angiotensin, or ACE for short. By blocking this enzyme, the blood vessels relax and expand, so the blood pressure drops.
An estimated 103 million adults in the U.S., which is nearly half of the adult population, have high blood pressure, according to 2018 statistics from the American Heart Association.
A study published in British Medical Journal looked at 992,000 adults who were prescribed blood pressure medication in Great Britain between 1995 and 2015. Patients took one of two types of pills: either ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, which work in a different way. Compared to patients who received angiotensin receptor blockers, for those using ACE-inhibitors, 14% was more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer over six years.
The study was carried out by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and called for 'additional, longer-term studies to investigate the effects of these drugs on lung cancer incidence'. They said that while a 14 per cent increased risk may not seem like much , "small relative effects may translate into large absolute numbers of patients at risk of lung cancer." The researchers added: "Given the potential impact of our findings, they need to be replicated in other settings, particularly among patients with long-term exposure to these But Professor Stephen Evans, an expert on the effects of drugs at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said it was unlikely that these drugs cause lung cancer.
"It seems that in this situation it is premature to draw firm conclusions and talk about the impact on public health," he said.
