Are You Sure That Aspirin Is Right For You?
You've never had a heart attack and you'd like to keep it that way. Nice, healthy thinking.
And you've heard taking a baby aspirin each day will lower your risk of having "the big one."
Heck, it sounds like an especially good idea especially since aspirin is such a simple medication and the dose is so low. But even a baby aspirin can throw a muscle-man punch when it comes to side effects.
A new study suggests that close to 12 percent of people who take aspirin shouldn't be taking it since their overall risk of a heart attack is lower than the side effects that they might suffer -- specifically stomach bleeding as well as an increased risk of a stroke cause by bleeding in the head.
Aspirin works by "thinning'" the blood. It basically helps prevent a clog up in the heart arteries. But it also can eat a hole in your stomach. In fact, the chemical name of aspirin is "acetylsalicylic acid."
Note the "acid."
And while it can thin the blood, in some people it can also make it too thin -- so that your risk of having a blood vessel bleed in the brain goes up. So aspirin is really a double edged sword in the brain. It lessens the risk of a clot (causing an embolic stroke) but may increase the risk of bleeding (causing a hemorrhagic stroke).
The main thing to remember about aspirin is that it is mainly intended to help people who have already had a heart attack, or to prevent a first heart attack in people at high risk. These are people who have multiple risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, etc.
It's probably not going to do much good in a healthy 46 year old who is in good health.
Incidentally, the highest rate of overuse of aspirin as a preventative was younger women without health problems. The study found about one in five women who take aspirin ... should not.
Bottom line, the little pill can be a life saver. Yet it also can cause a load of problems. When we say "talk to your doctor," this is one where we really mean it. There is no one magic formula that says you should take it. In most cases, it's a matter of you and your doc taking a look at the big picture and deciding if a daily aspirin is right for you.
The study is in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Dave Hnida is CBS4's Medical Editor. He blogs about the latest studies and trends in the health world. Read his latest blog entries, check out his bio or follow him on Twitter @drdavehnida.