Physicians have recommended older adults add a daily lose-dose aspirin to their daily routine for decades. Adding the daily drug used to be standard for individuals 50 and older, however, new guidance suggests that individuals in their 40s and 50s should only take an 81 mg aspirin if their doctors conclude they are at higher risk for heart disease. The low-dose aspirin may lower the risk without adding a considerable risk of bleeding.
The new recommendations added those in their 40s. It also advised people 60 and older not to begin using aspirin to prevent first their first heart attack or cerebrovascular accident (CVA or stroke), according to NPR.
These guidelines, issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, stem from studies that indicate that for most individuals without heart disease, the risk of taking a daily 81mg aspirin cancels its potential benefits.
While the over-the-counter analgesic helps prevent blood clots that can cause a stroke or heart attack, low-dose aspirin can cause serious bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract and brain, Harvard Health reported.
“For anyone who is on aspirin because they’ve already has a heart attack or stroke, it’s a very important medication,” said Dr. Erin Michos, at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. The associate director of preventive cardiology is not part of the task force, according to NBC News.
Approximately 29 million adults in the United States take a daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke even though they do not have heart disease or stroke in their medical histories. Due to the possibility of bleeding, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology’s 2019 report recommended that individuals who are at least 70 should refrain from taking daily aspirin.
One of 16 members of the task force and professor of family medicine at the John H. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Chein-Wen Tseng, emphatically explained that only patients who have an increased risk of heart disease will benefit from an analgesic. Furthermore, no one should start a daily low-dose aspirin simply because they are seniors.
“However, aspirin may still be warranted for certain people in that age group” — 60 and older — if they are at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years and who do not have elevated chances of bleeding. Health experts suggest open communication with their physicians about other prevention methods.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
NPR: Older adults shouldn’t start a routine of daily aspirin, task force says; by Allison Aubrey and Will Stone
NBC News: Most adults shouldn’t take daily aspirin to prevent heart attack, panel says; by Kaitlin Sullivan
Harvard Health Publishing: Low-dose aspirin: Little benefit for people without prior heart attack; by Julie Corliss
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