Doctors Urge Seniors to Rethink Daily Aspirin Habit 

Doctors Urge Seniors to Rethink Daily Aspirin Habit. Credit | Getty Images
Doctors Urge Seniors to Rethink Daily Aspirin Habit. Credit | Getty Images

United States:  For long time, millions of Americans took a small aspirin every day to help their hearts, but in 2019, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association studied a lot of data and changed their advice and now they say that utmost people shouldn’t take aspirin because it can really cause bleeding which is further dangerous than helpful and unfortunately utmost of the Americans aren’t taking this advice and are still taking the diurnal drug. 

Persistent Usage 

According to a poll conducted on a sample of more than 150 million adult Americans, about one-third of heart-healthy individuals 60 years of age or older reported using a low-dose (81 mg) aspirin daily in 2021. 

Research Findings 

 According to a group headed by Dr. Mohak Gupta, this equates to around 18.5 million senior citizens in the United States. Gupta is an internal medicine physician who worked at the Cleveland Clinic when he did the study and is now Houston Methodist’s practicer.  

 The researchers found that more than 25.6 million Americans, including those under 60, used aspirin regularly. 

Doctors Urge Seniors to Rethink Daily Aspirin Habit. Credit | ABC News
Doctors Urge Seniors to Rethink Daily Aspirin Habit. Credit | ABC News

Physician Advisory 

“Our findings highlight the urgent need for physicians to inquire about aspirin use, including self-use, and engage in risk-benefit discussions to reduce inappropriate use for primary prevention in older adults,” the researchers said, citing the drug’s now questionable risk-benefit ratio for people at average heart risk with aspirin. 

Recent Publications 

 The Annals of Internal Medicine published their findings on June 24. 

 According to Gupta’s team, results from studies published in 2018 raised questions about earlier advice on daily aspirin use. Instead, regarding cardiac problems, the findings indicated a “limited benefit for primary prevention”. 

“Therefore, the 2019 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association discourage primary prevention aspirin use in adults older than 70 years,” the researchers stated. 

American Heart Association Stance 

 Mainly if you are over 70, the AHA now suggests that you first discuss with your doctor whether you are a good candidate for aspirin treatment. 

 “If you’re over 70 or almost near about this number, taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attact or stroke could do more harm to you than good” stated by American Heart Association

Soon after the AHA and ACC changed their recommendations in 2019, there was a decrease in the daily aspirin consumption. 

Survey Insights 

 But according to Gupta’s team’s analysis of National Health Interview Survey data from 2012 to 2021, “in 2021, 18.5% of adults aged 40 years or older [still] reported aspirin use for primary prevention.” Among those sixty years of age or older, “a total of 29.7% reported primary prevention use.” 

Unadvised Usage 

 The poll also revealed that almost one in twenty (5.2%) Americans who were 60 years of age or older used an aspirin every day “without medical advice,” according to the researchers. 

 The study indicates that physicians do appear to be in the habit of advising patients who take aspirin regularly to cease doing so. 

Importance of Updated Guidelines 

The results “have important implications in the context of guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in 2022, that also recommended against aspirin initiation for primary prevention among adults aged 60 years or older, as net harm may occur,” the researchers stated.