Research Says Taking Aspirin To Treat And Prevent Heart Disease Could Be Doing More Harm Than Good
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Millions of Americans take aspirin to treat and prevent heart disease, but new research today from the American College of Cardiology says that could be doing more harm than good.
Fifty-seven-year old Bryan Hull has high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease. He takes low-dose aspirin every day to reduce his chances of having a heart attack. Bryan says, "The concern was I not have a heart attack like my father did."
A new study finds more than 10 percent of patients taking aspirin to prevent a first time heart attack or stroke should not be taking the drug. Cardiologist Ravi Dave says, "You can have risk of bleeding in your stomach. You can even have a stroke that can cause bleeding inside your brain."
Researchers looked at 68,000 patients and calculated their risk of developing heart disease over the next decade. It's based on factors such as age, sex and blood pressure. They found patients whose risk is considered low should not take aspirin. Dr. Ravi says, "You need to check with your doctor to see if you should continue taking the aspirin."
The study also found 17 percent of women were taking aspirin unnecessarily compared to five percent of men. Bryan Hull believes using aspirin over the past 10 years has prevented him from having a heart attack. He says, "Knock on wood, I haven't had one yet and I'm hoping I won't have one forever!"
The study did not look at patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. Doctors say those patients should continue taking aspirin to prevent a recurrence.