Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)

History

2022: The American Medical Community recommended taking aspirin every day to prevent stroke

On May 2, 2022, the US Preventive Services Task Force announced the completion of updated recommendations for daily aspirin intake for the prevention of heart attack or stroke.

Although the previous guideline was far from a comprehensive recommendation, some older adults may have decided to take aspirin every day to prevent heart attack, stroke, and other coronary artery diseases. Now the Task Force - a group of medical experts that develops recommendations on preventive medicine - has adjusted its stance on aspirin and narrowed down those to whom it may be useful.

The American Medical Community recommended taking aspirin every day to prevent stroke

Importantly, this guideline is intended for "primary prevention" of "first heart attack or stroke," rather than for people who have already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, including those who have suffered a heart attack, stroke or artery blockage. According to Mayo Clinic, stopping aspirin or blood thinning drugs when they have already been prescribed (for example, after a heart attack) can cause a "rebound effect" and lead to blood clots or a heart attack.

Importantly, this guideline is intended for "primary prevention" of "first heart attack or stroke," rather than for people who have already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, including those who have suffered a heart attack, stroke or artery blockage. The task force also did not adjust recommendations for aspirin use in suspected heart attack.

"'New recommendations for daily aspirin intake

Adults 60 years and older who do not have cardiovascular disease and have not experienced cardiovascular events (such as a heart attack) are not advised to start taking a low daily dose of aspirin.

A review of available studies found that despite the small benefit of taking aspirin daily to reduce non-fatal strokes and non-fatal myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), it has no effect on mortality. Aspirin also increases the risk of bleeding, including gastrointestinal bleeding and intracranial hemorrhages (bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract or skull).

As the risk of bleeding increases with age, the Task Force decided that older adults 60 years and older would not benefit sufficiently from aspirin to outweigh the increased risk of bleeding.

If the age is 60 and older, and the person is already taking aspirin daily, you should speak with your doctor before deciding to stop taking it.

For adults aged 40 to 59 years with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (by the definition of the working group, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease for 10 years rises by at least 10%), the choice to start taking aspirin should be "individual" and should be agreed with the doctor. Some people will benefit more than others.

{{quote 'The facts indicate that we see no benefit from using aspirin at low doses to reduce risk in patients who do not yet have cardiovascular disease, "Dr. Demilade Adedinsevo, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, said in a report. "In addition, the data indicate an increased risk of bleeding in older patients, especially those over 60 years of age taking low-dose aspirin for primary prevention," he added. }} The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider on any health or health issues.^[1]

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