Daily aspirin is good for some men, not others
For men who have had a heart attack, stroke, or other
problem related to clogged arteries, the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh
the risks. In this group, the benefits include preventing a first or repeat
heart attack or stroke or dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. But in
otherwise healthy men, the balance of benefits and risks shifts, according to
the October 2014 Harvard
Men's Health Watch.
The best research to date shows that men who have not been
diagnosed with cardiovascular disease glean no overall benefit to taking
aspirin every day—including men at higher risk, like those with diabetes.
In otherwise healthy men, aspirin prevents some non-fatal heart
attacks, but not strokes. At the same time, it can cause harmful bleeding in
the digestive tract. Aspirin use has also been linked to small bleeds in the
brain which, though uncommon, can be deadly. In fact, aspirin causes more cases
of worrisome bleeding than almost any other medication because so many people take
it.
The point at which the chance of being helped by daily
aspirin outweighs the bleeding risk varies from person to person. This is why
experts recommend an individualized assessment.
"You have to be more thoughtful when considering aspirin
for prevention in people without known cardiovascular disease," says Dr.
Christian Ruff, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s
Hospital and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "You
need to assess the risk of...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
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