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Aspirin study questions preventive effect
1 September 2009: Scientists looked at whether aspirin could be used to stop cardiovascular events from developing in people who have coronary plaque build-up.
Taking a daily dose of aspirin won’t prevent conditions such as heart attack or stroke if you already have a coronary plaque build-up in your arteries but don’t yet have symptoms, scientists say.
The benefits of taking aspirin for people who have already had a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular condition (cardiovascular event) have long been established. This type of treatment is called secondary prevention.
The scientists, who presented their study at the annual European Society of Cardiology Congress, looked at whether or not aspirin could be used to stop cardiovascular events from developing in the first place (primary prevention) in people who have asymptomatic atherosclerosis.
The UK-based scientists followed the health of over 3,000 men and women aged between 50 and 80 with asymptomatic atherosclerosis. Each person was randomly assigned to one of two groups; a treatment group who were given a daily oral dose of 100mg of aspirin, and a placebo group who were given an oral dummy pill containing no active ingredient (placebo) to take daily. The researchers followed each person over an average of eight years to see if they had had any cardiovascular events.
The scientists found no statistically significant difference in the number of cardiovascular events that occurred in people who took aspirin when compared to those who took the placebo, calling into question the use of aspirin as a primary preventative treatment.
Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director for Bupa International, said: “Much has been made of this piece of research in the media, but it’s important not to jump to conclusions. Within the group of people studied there may have been variation in the severity of their conditions and some may have had silent cardiovascular events that they and the researchers were unaware of.
"This could have greatly affected the results, blurring the lines between who was taking the aspirin as a truly primary preventative measure and who was taking it as a secondary preventative treatment. Before dismissing the use of aspirin as a means of primary prevention, much more research needs to be done.
“If you’re currently taking aspirin and are worried about its effects, talk to your doctor before stopping your treatment. He or she will be able to go through the potential risks and benefits of taking aspirin and help you decide what’s best for you,” he added.
Related information
Key facts
- Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty deposits (coronary plaque) builds up on the inside of your arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other organs). It’s called asymptomatic atherosclerosis when you don’t have any symptoms of the condition yet.
- Asymptomatic atherosclerosis can be picked up using a screening test called ankle brachial index (ABI).
- ABI compares a measure of blood pressure (systolic pressure) at your ankle with that at your arm.
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The lower your ABI pressure, the more at risk you are of cardiovascular disease.
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