Daily aspirin recommended for all middle-aged

Aug 25 2008

Researchers in the UK say that taking an aspirin each day could prevent heart attacks in middle-age.

The researchers from Nottingham and Sheffield universities say not many people are prescribed aspirin and they believe following a study of almost 12,000 patients, in 304 general practices in England and Wales, that everyone who is middle-aged could benefit from the drug.

The researchers found that one in ten men from the age of 48 and one in ten women aged 58 and over, were at risk from a heart attack and they say this risk warrants treatment.

Aspirin is currently prescribed if a person has already suffered a heart attack or a stroke or if factors such as high blood pressure put a patient at high risk of having a heart attack in the next few years.

The study looked at patients between the ages of 30 and 75 and found that, from the age of 47 in men and 57 in women, the ten-year coronary heart disease risk is 10 per cent.

The researchers say unless someone is at risk of dangerous side effects because they have a condition such as a stomach ulcer, the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh the disadvantages.

Aspirin makes it harder for blood clots to form and as heart attacks result when a blood vessel is blocked by a clot, many experts believe that everyone over a specific age threshold such as 50 years, should be prescribed aspirin as a precautionary measure.

Study leader Dr. Iskandar Idris, an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield, says that routinely prescribing aspirin in these age groups was a feasible option.

Dr. Idris says this may not apply to people with diabetes or those at high risk of bleeding and the final decision about use of aspirin must eventually be made after discussion with a doctor.

The researchers say after a patient's gender, their bleeding risk and general health are evaluated low-dose aspirin therapy should routinely be considered to all men and women without diabetes above the ages of 48 and 57 years respectively for prevention of heart attacks.

The British Heart Foundation says more robust research is needed before "blanket prescribing" could be recommended and other experts suggest a full risk assessment under medical supervision is carried out to identify those with cardiovascular disease.

The study is published in the journal Heart.