Daily Aspirin Not Necessary In Healthy People
Healthy people who take a daily dose of aspirin to reduce the chances of having a heart attack could be doing more harm than good, according to a team of British researchers.
The Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis (AAA) study shows that healthy people “who do not have symptomatic or diagnosed artery or heart disease should not take aspirin, because the risks of bleeding may outweigh the benefits," said Professor Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, which helped fund the study.
Weissberg noted that patients with previous conditions could see benefits from a daily aspirin dose.
"We know that patients with symptoms of artery disease, such as angina, heart attack or stroke, can reduce their risk of further problems by taking a small dose of aspirin each day," he said.
Professor Gerry Fowkes from the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Edinburgh, Scotland, and colleagues concluded that the daily use of aspirin in healthy people to avoid heart attacks “cannot be supported.”
The team studied 28,980 men and women between the ages of 50 and 75, who had tested for a possible leg artery condition, but were free of any cardiovascular disease.
Participants either received a daily 100mg dose of aspirin or a placebo. The study lasted over eight years.
Fowkes’ team presented its findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona Sunday.
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