While it has been commonly believed that taking an aspirin every day could fend off heart attacks and strokes, it may not be the best practice for everyone, a recently released study shows.
For people who have never been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or a heart ailment, the risks of taking a daily aspirin outweigh the benefits, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study found that internal bleeding is one of the side effects that outweigh the benefits of taking a daily aspirin if there has been no previous heart-related ailment in the patient.
"Among patients without cardiovascular disease and low 10-year (cardiovascular disease) risk, the risks of gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic strokes associated with aspirin use outweigh any potential atheroprotective benefit," the study said.
WebMD has weighed in on the issue, saying that while aspirin is a good remedy for many ailments, its risks may be overlooked.
Dr. Mark Fendrick, an associate professor of internal medicine at University of Michigan, told WebMD that while aspirin is inexpensive and is the one drug he would "take on a desert island," its values should not be overstated.
"People who take aspirin regularly ... will have roughly double the likelihood of having a perforated ulcer or bleeding in the GI tract," he told WebMD. "Relatively little attention is paid to this problem that kills more people in the U.S. each year than asthma or cervical cancer."
In the study, cardiologists from Baylor College of Medicine used the medical records of some 70,000 patients who used aspirin for preventative purposes. They found many of those in the study who regularly engaged in the practice of taking a daily aspirin were not in a risk category for heart or cardiovascular problems. In focusing on those people, it was noted that the daily aspirin intake was "inappropriate," and could cause more damage than good.
In an article in Men's Journal, the lead author of the aspirin study, Dr. Salim Virani, said ultimately, patients need to seek the advice of their healthcare provider to determine whether or not to take an aspirin every day.
