Aspirin and Heart Disease: An Overview
In the early 1990s, strong research showed that aspirin could help in treating
heart attacks. In fact, this
heart disease "wonder drug" is now given to all patients who arrive at the hospital emergency department with a suspected heart attack, because aspirin acts to thin the blood and lessen the size of a blood clot during a heart attack.
But what about preventing a heart attack or
heart disease with aspirin? The answer is: it depends. There are certain groups of people for whom taking aspirin makes sense; however, it does not make sense for everyone. In some situations, the risk of aspirin outweighs the benefits.
The American Heart Association recommends aspirin for people in the following groups:
Aspirin is not recommended for everyone, because there are possible risks with aspirin, including an increased risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and a slight increase in a certain type of
stroke (hemorrhagic stroke) caused by bleeding in the brain.
Make sure to talk with your doctor before trying to
prevent heart disease with aspirin. Your healthcare provider will weigh the possible benefits against the risks associated with aspirin. Before your healthcare provider recommends aspirin to
prevent a heart attack, he or she will consider a number of factors, including your:
Also, regardless of whether you are taking aspirin, people should adopt the well-proven
heart disease prevention approaches. These ways to prevent heart disease include:
