Since the 1970’s the American Heart Association has recommended daily doses of baby aspirin to prevent or manage heart disease. Millions of Americans have followed that advice for years.
Three (3) major clinical trials in 2018 questioned the validity and safety of a daily dose of aspirin. Earlier this year the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology changed the clinical guidelines “recommending against the routine use of aspirin in people older than 70 years or people with increased risk of bleeding who do not have existing cardiovascular disease.” A new study published on July 22, 2019, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, show the risk of taking daily aspirin out ways any benefit. These findings affect over 30 million Americans older than 40 taking aspirin on a daily basis to prevent heart disease. 6 million Americans taking aspirin daily do so without their doctor’s recommendations.
If you are taking daily aspirin to “prevent” heart disease you should probably stop ASAP. Please don’t do so without first consulting your PCP. The only group of patients where the benefit out-ways the risks is those who have already suffered a heart attack or stroke.
I share this breaking news because you, or someone you care about, may be taking a daily aspirin thinking it is a good thing to do only to find out it is causing more harm than good. Please don’t stop taking any medications without first consulting your PCP or specialist.