Aspirin Use on the Rise

More Americans are dosing themselves with baby aspirin than ever before, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens.  One report showed that in the five years between 2005 and 2010 aspirin use rose by 57%.  Another study revealed that more than half of individuals between the ages of 45 and 75 take a low-dose aspirin tablet each day.

“There’s no doubt that aspirin use can have value for people who have experienced a first heart attack, stroke or angina,” according to pharmacotherapy specialist Craig Williams.  He’s a professor at Oregon State University’s College of Pharmacy and the lead researcher of a study showing “that more and more people who have not experienced those events and are not technically considered at high risk by the FDA are also deciding to use aspirin, usually in consultation with their doctors.”

But, according to the FDA, there’s no support for “the use of aspirin as a preventive medication by people who have not had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular problems, a use that is called ‘primary prevention.’  In such people, the benefit has not been established but risks – such as dangerous bleeding into the brain or stomach – are still present.”