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The word is spreading: Taking aspirin regularly
can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients at risk. But
according to results of a new study, even with the publicity about the
benefits of aspirin, only about 25% of patients who could benefit from
aspirin therapy are taking it.
Aspirin use has gone up dramatically since 1980.
But the low percentage of patients reported receiving it suggests that
a substantial number of patients with heart disease are at higher risk
of developing further problems because they are not taking aspirin. The
use of aspirin in patients with heart disease
is not uniform. Men are more likely than women to be taking aspirin, and
that patients over the age of 80 were less likely to be taking aspirin
compared to younger patients.
Given that aspirin is a relatively low-cost and
readily available over-the-counter medication, the finding of low use
in patients with coronary artery disease raises concerns that prevention
issues are not adequately addressed by physicians. Heart
specialists are the most likely to prescribe regular aspirin -- cardiologists
were more likely than primary care physicians to report that their patients
were on aspirin."
Numerous studies over the years have documented
the benefits of aspirin therapy in preventing some of the complications
of heart disease, such as second heart attack. This benefit of aspirin
comes from its ability to prevent clot formation, particularly in the
important coronary arteries that supply the heart. When any of these vessels
become blocked by a clot, heart attack and serious damage to the heart
muscle may result.
Circulation: Journal of
the American Heart Association March 2000;101
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