another healthcare recommendation down the tubes

First it's heart catheterization as a treatment for heart disease is no better than medical management. Then agressive management of diabetes increases the risk of death. Now, the Achives of Internal Medicine tells us:

"Despite important reductions in nonfatal MI, aspirin prophylaxis in people without prior CVD does not lead to reductions in either cardiovascular death or cancer mortality. Because the benefits are further offset by clinically important bleeding events, routine use of aspirin for primary prevention is not warranted and treatment decisions need to be considered on a case-by-case basis."

And this was not just some small single trial. This was an analysis of nine well done studies to get the big picture on what the aspirin recommendation should be. The only benefit was in the reduction of nonfatal MI (the ones that don't kill you), and 162 people have to take aspirin for one to get this benefit. There was no significant reduction in cardiovascular death or cancer mortality.

Bottom line: If you have not had a heart attack, taking aspirin does not help your prevent cardiac death.
I suspect the recommendations from most providers won't change though. It's really hard to change long held beliefs and what you were taught in medical school, even when the evidence refutes it. In this case, it was not just one research study. So put down the bottle of aspirin (if your healthy and trying to prevent cardiac death).

Comments

[SAGLIK HABERLERI]

Hi,

Use of aspirin in healthy patients without risk factors is not suitable.

A recent study which published in Journal of "Archives of Internal Medicine",emphasized the harmful effects of aspirin.

Aspirin increase the chance of internal bleeding, including bleeds on the brain.

Authors said that while there was a 20% reduction in non-fatal heart attacks in people taking aspirin, there was no reduction in deaths from heart attack, stroke or cancer. The risk of potentially life threatening internal bleeding increased by 30%. (Source: Routine aspirin 'may cause harm'- By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16468337 )

A new study links daily aspirin use to Increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (Source: http://www.aao.org/newsroom/release/20120103.cfm?RenderForPrint=1&).

People without symptomatic cardiovascular disease should not use aspirin.

Murat
www.kulakburunbogaz.info