January 23, 2019.
Taking a daily micro-dose of aspirin to prevent the risk of heart attack or stroke would present “a real risk” to health.
The cardiovascular benefits of aspirin outweighed by the risk of bleeding
Aspirin every day to thin the blood, preventing blood clots, and limiting the risk of heart attack or stroke: this is what some doctors recommend, especially in the United States, even when patients are healthy and have no history cardiac. However, according to a recent analysis published in the journal of the American Medial Association (Jama), this practice is not without danger.
According to the authors, cardiologists at King’s College London, “ for healthy people, theThe cardiovascular benefits of aspirin are roughly outweighed by the increased risk of bleeding, especially in the brain and intestines », Can we read in the columns of Sciences and the Future. To reach this conclusion, the scientists reviewed the 13 best clinical trials on the subject, carried out on 164,000 people between 1988 and 2018.
Aspirin intake should be prescribed on a case-by-case basis
Like any medication, taking aspirin to prevent cardiovascular problems should be prescribed on a case-by-case basis. According to the various studies on the subject, it appears that aspirin indeed reduces the risk of a new heart attack or stroke in people who have already had a stroke or heart attack.
In people with no previous history, on the other hand, “ data shows that there is a real risk. People shouldn’t take it thinking it’s completely harmless », Specify the authors. While admitting that the risks are ” very weak “. To limit the risk of cardiovascular accident, they recommend adopting certain behaviors on a daily basis: watch your diet, exercise and of course quit smoking.
Aurélie Giraud