Taking aspirin on a daily basis not in your interest!
An American study highlights the underestimated risks of aspirin, which can cause haemorrhages, both cerebral or intestinal...
In the United States, millions of patients, often in good health, are prescribed a low dose of aspirin on a daily basis in order to reduce the risks of a heart attack or stroke.
But a new study calls this strategy into question. Published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), this study highlights the underestimated risks of aspirin, a drug found in many homes but which can cause hemorrhages, both cerebral or intestinal.
"There is no reason for healthy people to take aspirin habitually," explains the director of this research, cardiologist Sean Zheng, from King's College London to AFP. "Our data shows that there is a real risk. People should not take it thinking that it's completely benign," the doctor says.
However, an estimated 47% of healthy Americans take aspirin regularly.
Aspirin thins the blood, which prevents clots formation. For people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, the preventive effectiveness of a daily microdose of aspirin is not debated. It's for people without a history, and for whom the risk is low or difficult to establish, that the controversy exists.
Unlike in the United States, in Europe, aspirin is recommended only for those who have already had a heart problem. Three major clinical trials, published in 2018, have challenged American habits. The risk of internal bleeding would indeed be worrying in people in their 70s.
Doctors explain that other methods to reduce cardiovascular risks should be recommended as a priority: quitting smoking, doing physical exercise, improving one's diet...
(MH with LpR/Picture: Pixabay)
