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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – According to a recent study, healthy people who take aspirin daily to prevent heart attacks later in life could do more harm than good.
For decades, aspirin has been used to treat cardiac patients, to stop heart attacks and strokes. But many healthy middle-aged people take aspirin pills as an "insurance policy" against heart problems.
According to the Daily Mail, a large new study, including data from more than 160,000 people, concluded that the risk of major internal bleeding far outweighed the benefits of aspirin in people without heart disease.
Primary prevention
The study, led by experts from King & # 39; s College London, shows more and more that aspirin is no longer needed for primary prevention, a term used to treat patients without heart problems.
The researchers found that the risk of heart attack in healthy patients using aspirin had decreased by 11%, with an increased risk of bleeding by 43%. This means that 265 people will need to take aspirin for 5 years to prevent a heart attack or stroke, but one in every 210 people will suffer from significant bleeding.
"This study shows that there is not enough evidence to recommend aspirin in the prevention of heart attacks and strokes in people without cardiovascular disease," he said. Dr. Shin Zheng, a university researcher in cardiology.
diabetics
The team found that the situation was more complicated for diabetics, who are more likely to have heart disease and to whom aspirin is often prescribed.
The use of aspirin requires a discussion between the patient and his doctor, knowing that any possible small cardiovascular benefit is outweighed by the real risk of serious bleeding.
"The current guidelines do not recommend giving aspirin to people who do not have heart disease or circulatory system," said Professor Jeremy Pearson, deputy medical director of the British Heart Foundation. Although aspirin reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, any benefit is beyond the risk of acute bleeding.
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