Taking aspirin daily has no protective effect

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Millions of healthy Americans daily take a small dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, but more and more studies have questioned the effectiveness of this precaution.
A growing number of studies, especially since last year, have shown the risks of aspirin, which is not often mentioned. This medicine, found in many homes, can cause bleeding.
A new analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Gamma) shows that the benefits of aspirin in terms of cardiovascular health in healthy people are offset by an increased risk of bleeding, especially from the brain and intestines.
"There is no reason for healthy people to take regular aspirin," said cardiologist Sean Xing of Kings College in London.
"Our data show that there is a real danger, people should not take this medicine as harmless."
But the risks are very low: cardiovascular diseases are very rare in people with no history and bleeding in the case of aspirin.
According to the analysis, among the 265 people treated with aspirin over five years, only one heart attack problem will be avoided. However, one in every 210 patients treated with aspirin will have a dangerous haemorrhage.
These figures are not at all important for the cardiologist. But researchers say these figures are important in terms of the total population, especially in the United States, where a study conducted in 2015 showed that 47% of Americans are in good health and taking aspirin.
Aspirin causes sepsis that prevents clotting and thus reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke.
For people who have already experienced such problems, a small dose of aspirin a day is good because the risk of a new stroke is greater than the risk of bleeding.
But the controversy concerns people who have no precedent with a low probability of injury or difficulty identifying the risk.
In the United States, the highly respected United States Prosecution Task Force recommends taking aspirin for 50-year-olds who have a 10% chance of having a heart attack or clot over the next 10 years.
In Europe, aspirin is only recommended for people who have ever had a heart attack.