Feb 21, 2020
For this week's House Call, we focused on aspirin and your heart, weighing the benefits and risks. Cheryl Farley, RN, manager of UHC’s Cardiac Rehab and Pulmonary Rehab joins us in the studio.
1). So tell us what is the benefit of taking a daily aspirin for heart disease?
Daily aspirin therapy can be a lifesaving option, but it is not for everyone. Before you start taking aspirin be sure to consult with your health care provider about the risks and benefits of low-dose aspirin for heart disease prevention.
What an aspirin does is prevent blood clots from forming and can help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
2). Are there any risks or side effects that we should know?
Taking an aspirin daily is not without risk. Aspirin can also put some people at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding or bleeding elsewhere in the body. People who take a daily aspirin and drink alcohol can have an increased risk of stomach bleeding.
It may also increase your risks of a bleeding stroke (hemorrhagic stroke). You could also have an allergic reaction if you are allergic to aspirin.
When it comes to any surgical procedures or dental work, you also need to be careful, as you should be sure to tell your surgeon or dentist that you are taking a daily aspirin and the dosage.
3). What are the guidelines concerning the use of aspirin?
Well there are new guidelines recently published by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. According to these 2019 guidelines a low-dose aspirin of 75 to 100 milligrams orally daily:
- Might be considered for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among select adults ages 40 to 70 who have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease but are not an increased risk of bleeding
- Should not be administered on a routine basis for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among adults older than 70.
- Should not be administered for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among adults of any age who are at increased risk of bleeding.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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