For years, doctors have been advising patients to take small regular doses of baby aspirin for heart health. But now it turns out that what’s good for your heart may not be good for your gut.
Taking a daily low-dose aspirin to prevent heart disease may actually increase the risk of major gastrointestinal (GI) or cerebral bleeding, Italian researchers found.
In a large population study, daily prescribed aspirin was associated with a 55 percent relative increase in the risk of major bleeding, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Aspirin has long been proven in secondary prevention for patients with moderate to high risk of cardiovascular events, but its benefit in primary prevention of heart disease has been controversial.
Over a 5.7 year follow up, the researchers found that the overall incidence rate of hemorrhagic events was 55 percent higher for a risk of bleeding in those taking aspirin. The researchers observed an excess risk of both gastrointestinal and brain, or intracranial, bleeding.
In addition to aspirin use, the risk of bleeding increased with age and was higher in men such as those individuals treated with high blood pressure drugs; patients taking prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); and patients taking other antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents.
The study was limited because it wasn’t possible to consider variables that aren’t routinely captured in claims databases, including lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, or the use of over-the-counter NSAIDS or over-the-counter aspirin.
Consumer, beware!
