by Anne Stjern

Created on: August 26, 2009   Last Updated: September 03, 2009

For many people, an aspirin a day is part of the plan to reduce their chances of having a heart attack or stroke. In 1989, the landmark Physicians' Health Study I showed that 325 mg. of aspirin taken every other day reduced the incidence of first heart attacks in men by 44%. Since then, physicians have been routinely prescribing aspirin to patients with either an elevated risk or a history of heart attack or stroke. Further studies have agreed that the medication has a place in cardiac preventative therapy; however, they have also shown a significant increase in the incidence of sudden gastrointestinal bleeding in people who use aspirin regularly. In some case, the bleeding resulted in death. Considering the implications of aspirin's impact on the gastrointestinal system, does the risk outweigh the benefits?

Benefits of Daily Aspirin Therapy

Aspirin's effectiveness against heart attack and stroke is due to its affect on clotting. By interfering with platelets in blood, clots that would otherwise form possibly restricting blood flow to the heart or brain do not occur. The American Heart Association recommends daily low-dose (75 mg - 81 mg) aspirin therapy for treatment of very specific cardiac health problems. These conditions include:

Heart Attack (second)

Unstable Angina

Ischemic Stroke (strokes caused by a blood clot)

Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)

Patients at High Risk for any of these conditions

The Mayo Clinic reports that health aspects of aspirin are different men and women. For women under the age of 65, daily aspirin works to prevent a first stroke but not a first heart attack, whereas in men, the affects are reversed and age is not a factor. Aspirin's effectiveness for reducing the risk of heart disease and preventing a second heart attack was the same in both men and women of all ages.

Studies into the use of aspirin during a heart attack have concluded that chewing a regular dose 325 mg aspirin can save a person's life. Additionally, contrary to what was previously thought, researchers have discovered that people who have a stroke should be given aspirin as soon as possible to assist in preventing additional events. Studies have shown that recipients of aspirin following a stroke receive both immediate and long-term benefits from the medication.

Aspirin is also being recognized as useful in the fight against colon cancer. Results from a long-term study that tracked 1,300 individuals with colon cancer indicate that patients who had colorectal

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>