New guidelines no longer recommend low-dose daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes



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Doctors can still prescribe aspirin at a low daily dose to some patients, but aspirin treatment is now a recommendation of Clbad 2b according to the new guidelines. What will experts recommend to prevent heart attacks and strokes? ( Steve Buissinne | pixabay )

For years, doctors have recommended aspirin at low doses (75 milligrams a day) to prevent heart attacks and strokes. However, the new guidelines no longer recommend that seniors who are not at risk of heart disease take daily low-dose aspirin to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.

The new guidelines were announced Sunday by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

New guidelines on low-dose aspirin therapy

Doctors may still prescribe aspirin for some elderly patients at increased risk of heart disease, including those who have difficulty managing their blood glucose or cholesterol levels, provided that the risk of internal bleeding is not increased. not increased.

Roger Blumenthal, a cardiologist at John Hopkins, who co-chaired the new guidelines, said clinicians should be very selective when they prescribe aspirin to people without heart disease. He pointed out that optimizing lifestyle and control of blood pressure and cholesterol are more important than taking aspirin.

North Carolina cardiologist Kevin Campbell, who has not been involved in the guidelines, said that prescribing aspirin to younger age groups is now a clbad recommendation. 2b, which means that it is not the best course of action.

"There is a lot of debate among the experts and the data is not definitive," Campbell said.

He added that he would promote a healthy lifestyle, a change in risk factors and quitting smoking before even considering prescribing any Aspirin to a patient without known cardiovascular disease. He nevertheless pointed out that aspirin could still save lives for those who had undergone open heart surgery and stroke.

"Ultimately, we must individualize the treatment for each patient, according to his individual situation."

Studies on low-dose aspirin therapy

The low-dose aspirin treatment works by blocking the cyclooxygenase enzyme that causes inflammation and slowing the formation of blood clots.

However, treatment can increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when arteries that feed the brain with blood are broken.

Recent studies also question the effectiveness of treatment. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that aspirin is not effective in preventing cardiovascular problems in patients 70 years and older. Another study published in The lancet has also shown that for the majority of the population, aspirin offers little to no benefit in reducing the risk of first heart attack or stroke.

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