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from the no-chewing-on-birch-bark,-either dept.
Widespread Aspirin use Despite Few Benefits, High Risks:
Aspirin use is widespread among groups at risk for harm including older adults and adults with peptic ulcers -- painful sores in the lining of the stomach that are prone to bleeding that affect about one in ten people. In a research report published today in Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) report on the extent to which Americans 40 years old and above use aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
"Although prior American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines recommended aspirin only in persons without elevated bleeding risk, the 2019 guidelines now explicitly recommend against aspirin use among those over the age of 70 who do not have existing heart disease or stroke," said senior author Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH, a general internist and researcher at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Our findings suggest that a substantial portion of adults may be taking aspirin without their physician's advice and potentially without their knowledge."
[...] Concerningly, nearly half of adults 70 years and older without a history of heart disease or stroke reported taking aspirin daily. The authors noted that a history of peptic ulcer disease -- another contraindication for the routine use of aspirin -- was not significantly associated with lower aspirin use as one would have expected.
"Our findings show a tremendous need for health care practitioners to ask their patients about ongoing aspirin use and to advise them about the importance of balancing the benefits and harms, especially among older adults and those with prior peptic ulcer disease," said lead author Colin O'Brien, MD, a senior internal medicine resident at BIDMC and fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Journal Reference:
Colin W. O'Brien, Stephen P. Juraschek, Christina C. Wee. Prevalence of Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in the United States: Results From the 2017 National Health Interview Survey. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.7326/M19-0953
So take one of these and call the doctor in the morning... but only if instructed to do so and there are no other contraindications.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 24 2019, @08:47AM
The OP does not distinguish between three cases:
As an over 70 myself, I take ONE soluable baby (75mg) aspirin a day (very early in the morning). While this was
originally suggested by my doctor as reducing risk of stroke (by thinning blood and thus reducing pressure),
I find it reduces the aches I experience when first waking.
Myself and many others, take aspirin for pain relief for certain kinds of pain as pills (500mg) -
it reduces inflammation. I occasionally do this (two or three times a year) I might take paracetamol
or Ibuprophen instead, dependent on the type of pain.
Topical (ie as cream) - dosage not reproducible but probably under 100mg. Probably about twice a month.
These cases are completely different. - there is no way applying an aspirin based cream to my ankles
will affect my stomach, but it could be legitimately described as "regularly taking aspirin".
The "taking regularly! is generally means the first case - where the dose is very low - and people
with stomach pain should obviously not be doing this, but might be - probably with no ill effects.
Only taking the pain killer (500mg) dose is a danger to your stomach, and I doubt people with stomach
problems would do this regularly as someone taking pain killers probably wants to avoid pain!
I smell lies from big pharma.