The risks of aspirin a day outweigh the benefits for healthy seniors | New

The results of the study question the idea of ​​using aspirin for so-called primary cardiovascular prevention in the elderly, the risk of bleeding caused by the drug carrying it off. on profits.

"The results will have a significant impact on the guidelines on the use of aspirin for prevention"

Raj Shah

Daily doses of aspirin have been reported to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and are often prescribed for those with a stroke – called secondary prevention.

Aspirin thins the blood and reduces the risk of recurrence of a stroke. However, not only those who have had a stroke take daily doses of aspirin because of ideas about primary prevention.

But the new study published in a leading American newspaper revealed that daily aspirin has no benefit for healthy seniors without cardiovascular disease and can be more dangerous than useful.

the New England Journal of Medicine published three articles on a study that began in 2010. It followed 19,114 people over the age of 70, testing the benefits of aspirin in healthy adults from Australia and the United States.

The aspirin trial for the reduction of effects in the elderly (ASPREE) was designed to determine whether aspirin, taken over at least five years, would prolong life without disability in already healthy older adults.

ASPREE found that there was no benefit for study participants who took aspirin compared to those who received a placebo tablet.

ASPREE also evaluated the potential benefit of preventing cardiovascular disease compared to the increased risk of bleeding in the brain and gastrointestinal tract.

The results showed that the risk of bleeding was increased – clinically significant hemorrhage occurring in 3.8% of people on aspirin and 2.7% of those on placebo. However, the risk of cardiovascular disease has not been significantly reduced, the researchers said.

In addition, the trial found that taking aspirin daily did not reduce the occurrence of dementia or physical disability. Among those taking aspirin, 90.3% remained alive at the end of treatment without persistent physical disability or dementia, compared with 90.5% of those taking placebo.

Overall, the group taking aspirin had a higher risk of death than the placebo group, with 5.9% of participants taking aspirin and 5.2% taking a placebo. died during the course of the study.

The increased risk of death when taking aspirin was mainly due to an increase in the number of cancers, the researchers said. However, the researchers noted that any link between cancer risk and aspirin was unknown and needed further study.

They stated that the main problem associated with daily aspirin consumption remained the increased risk of bleeding without the benefits of a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people.

Dr. Raj Shah, lead investigator of the ASPREE trial, said: "The results will have a significant impact on the guidelines regarding the use of aspirin for prevention and daily clinical conversations between patients. clinicians and their elderly and healthy patients regarding the use or not of aspirin. to achieve longevity without disability. "

The ASPREE team will continue to research the effects of aspirin on dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

"Continuous follow-up of ASPREE participants is crucial, especially since the long-term effects on risks for outcomes such as cancer and dementia may differ from those seen until the end of the year." present, "said Dr. Evan Hadley, of the US National Institute on Aging. who supported the trial.