Aspirin is "safe" for stroke

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Patients who have had a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain can take aspirin safely to reduce their risk of stroke and heart problems, according to a new study.

Aspirin thins the blood and doctors have therefore been cautious, not fearing to worsen the bleeding.

But Lancet research suggests that this does not increase the risk of new brain bleeds, and can even reduce it.

Experts say that "strong indication" needs to be confirmed by more research.

Take only daily aspirin if your doctor recommends it, they advise.

Aspirin benefits and risks

Aspirin is better known as painkiller and sometimes also serves to lower fever.

However, low-dose daily aspirin (75 mg) is used to make the blood less sticky and can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Most strokes are caused by clots in the blood vessels of the brain, but some are caused by bleeding.

Aspirin fluidizes the blood, so it can sometimes make the patient bleed more easily.

And aspirin is not safe for everyone.

It can also cause indigestion and, more rarely, stomach ulcers.

Never give aspirin to children under the age of 16 (unless their doctor has prescribed it).

This can make children more likely to develop a very rare but serious condition called Reye's syndrome (which can cause damage to the liver and brain).

L & # 39; study

The search involved 537 people from all over the UK who had had brain bleeds while taking antiplatelet drugs, to prevent blood clotting, including aspirin, dipyridamole or a another medicine called clopidogrel.

• Half of the patients were randomly selected to continue their treatment (after a short break immediately after the brain bleed), while the other half was asked to stop taking it.
• Over the five years of the study, 12 of the patients who continued taking the tablets had bleeding from the brain, compared to 23 who stopped

The work is presented at the European Stroke Conference in Milan.

What do the experts say?

Research can not prove that aspirin prevents future strokes, but it seems to be linked to lower risk.

This does not mean that aspirin is always safe to take.

But it seems that more patients – those with hemorrhagic stroke or cerebral hemorrhage – could benefit from daily treatment.

It is not clear if the results of the study will apply to all patients in real life.

Professor Rutsam Salman, senior researcher at the University of Edinburgh, said: "At the moment, people do not know what to do."

"Doctors are reluctant to give aspirin or aspirin-like drugs to people who have suffered this type of stroke.

"The British and European directives give no recommendation, as the evidence is insufficient.

"I think we have now confirmed the safety with these results.

"It seems that aspirin is safe enough to be given."

Professor Salman recommended continuing work to see if aspirin could actually reduce the risk of bleeding and clot formation.

Professor Metin Avkiran, of the British Heart Foundation, who funded the research, said: "About a third of people with cerebral hemorrhage, also called hemorrhagic stroke, do so when they take a anti-platelet drug, such as aspirin., to reduce the risk of heart attack or ischemia [blood clot] stroke.

"We now have strong indications that they can continue to take these potentially life-saving drugs after cerebral hemorrhage without increasing the risk, which is crucial new information for patients and physicians."

Anyone worried should however consult a doctor before switching to another medicine.

Prevent a stroke

You can reduce your risk by:

• eat healthy
• do regular exercise
• no smoking
• avoid too much alcohol