Online doctors at Just Health Experts have served an amazing role helping individuals remotely. Here’s a response to a frequent inquiry by users of the service.

Summary

Aspirin is used for pain relief and prevention of cardiovascular disease.[1,2]

< >The American College of Cardiology guidelines, product labeling, and Mayo Clinic newsletter were evaluated to conduct the research.The American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines is widely used for prevention and treatment of heart diseases. Many trials were conducted to provide the recommendations.[2]The Mayo Clinic has experts look up and inform patients about daily aspirin use and what to expect.[3]

Clinical Data

The following information should not be construed as a comprehensive collection of all available clinical/published data regarding this topic.

In the product labeling, aspirin is used for pain relief. It is considered a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).[1] However, low dose aspirin (81mg) has been used for decades for cardiovascular prevention.[2] It does this by irreversibly preventing platelet formations.

The ACC guidelines state that low dose aspirin is beneficial in patients needing primary prevention of ASCVD.[2] However, they must not be at increased risk for bleeding, which is a serious side effect. Also, low dose aspirin should not be used in adults older than 70 years old. These guidelines were created following a meta-analysis and three recent trials.

Furthermore, the Mayo Clinic describes how daily aspirin reduces risks of clotting.[3] By preventing blood clots, blood flow to the heart is accessible. Heart attacks occur when there is no more blood flow to the heart.

Conclusion

Aspirin works to prevent heart attacks by reducing clot formations. There are less risks of heart attacks when there is blood flow to the heart. Low dose aspirin can be used daily in patients requiring primary ASCVD prevention; however, a discussion with your doctor is needed first. For more information about this topic, please visit Nature’s Reveal.

References

Bayer Aspirin - aspirin [package insert]. Whippany, NJ: Bayer; 2018.

2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol 2019;March 17:[Epub ahead of print]. DOI: