For many users, the odds of heart attack, stroke are lower than the risk of serious bleeding, study says
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Many Americans are likely using daily low-dose aspirin inappropriately in the hopes of preventing a first-time heart attack or stroke, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of nearly 69,000 U.S. adults prescribed aspirin long-term, about 12 percent probably should not have been.
That's because their odds of suffering a heart attack or stroke were not high enough to outweigh the risks of daily aspirin use, said Dr. Ravi Hira, the lead researcher on the study and a cardiologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Experts have long known that for people who've already had a heart attack or stroke, a daily low-dose aspirin can cut the risk of suffering those conditions again.
Things get more complicated, though, when it comes to preventing a first-time heart attack or stroke -- what doctors call "primary prevention." In general, the benefits of aspirin therapy are smaller, and for many people may not justify the downsides.
"Aspirin is not a medication that comes without risks," Hira said. He noted the drug can cause serious gastrointestinal bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain).
Still, people sometimes dismiss the bleeding risks, Hira said, partly because aspirin is so familiar and readily available.
The idea of protecting the heart by simply taking a pill might appeal to some people, he said. "It's probably easier to take a pill than to change your lifestyle," Hira pointed out.
But based on the new findings, many Americans may be making the wrong choice, Hira's team reported Jan. 12 online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The results are based on medical records for more than 68,800 patients at 119 cardiology practices across the United States. The group included people with high blood pressure who had not yet developed heart disease.
Overall, Hira's team found, almost 12 percent of patients seemed to be prescribed aspirin unnecessarily -- their risks of heart trouble or stroke were not high enough to justify the risks of long-term aspirin use.
source : More Than 1 in 10 Use Daily Aspirin Inappropriately
