{"id":23780,"date":"2019-08-09T16:26:44","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T16:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medgoo.com\/?p=23780"},"modified":"2019-08-09T16:26:49","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T16:26:49","slug":"millions-taking-aspirin-without-consulting-a-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medgoo.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/09\/millions-taking-aspirin-without-consulting-a-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions Taking Aspirin Without Consulting A Doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What a Pill! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That low-dose aspirin that almost 6.6 million U.S. adults take daily to protect against heart disease and stroke may be, at best, a waste of money and at worst, seriously risky. That\u2019s according to multiple studies, including guidelines recently presented by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC\/AHA).1, 2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You<\/em> may\nknow this, but do your patients know this new info? That\u2019s the point here. It\u2019s\nimportant that you get the word out. When you grab a patient\u2019s chart, knock on\nthe examining room door, and walk in, you might want to consider saying, \u201cHow\nare you? And are you still taking a daily low-dose aspirin?\u201d Phrase your\nopening line as you like \u2013 as long as you start a conversation about the new\nguidelines!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aspirin ~ Cliffs Notes Version <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a\nMarch 2019 statement, the ACC\/AHA officially recommended that low-dose\naspirin should not<\/em><\/strong> be administered on a routine basis for primary\nprevention of heart disease among adults 70 years of age or older, or at any\nage who are at increased bleeding risk. Low-dose aspirin may be considered for\nprimary prevention in certain adults between the ages of 40 and 70 who are not\nat increased risk for bleeding.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClinicians should be very selective\nin prescribing aspirin for people without known cardiovascular disease,\u201d cautions\nRoger S. Blumenthal, MD, FACC, co-chair of the 2019 ACC\/AHA Guideline on\nthe Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. \u201cIt\u2019s much more important to\noptimize lifestyle habits and control blood pressure and cholesterol as opposed\nto recommending aspirin. Aspirin should be limited to people at the highest\nrisk of cardiovascular disease and a very low risk of bleeding.\u201d 4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies of Note<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2019 ACC\/AHA Guideline authors\nattribute this significant update to recent research that suggests bleeding\nrisks associated with aspirin can outweigh benefits. One study involved a randomized,\ndouble-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted at Monash University in\nAustralia. Researchers recruited nearly 20,000 persons in Australia and the United\nStates who were 70 years of age or older and did not have cardiovascular\ndisease, dementia, or physical disability. Participants were randomly assigned\nto receive 100 mg per day of enteric-coated aspirin or placebo orally. After nearly five years, the\nresearchers concluded that there was no observed difference between the two\ngroups when it came to \u201cdisability-free survival.\u201d However, researchers did find\nthat aspirin use in healthy elderly persons led to a higher rate of major\nhemorrhage than persons receiving the placebo.5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another study, producing data from\nthe National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and including   14,328\nsurvey participants with an average age of 57.5 years, was one of the first\nstudies to stress an increased need for communication between patient and doctor\non the topic of aspirin and heart disease prevention.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what the NHIS determined\u2013 and why doctor\/patient communication is essential: 6<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n