United States: The medical recommendation for daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks no longer stands true more than three decades after it was first made.
A recent study demonstrates that American adults wrongly believe low-dose aspirin daily remains the correct choice despite the fact that fifty percent of responders still do not recognize updated medical heart disease recommendations.
More about the news
According to Annenberg Public Policy Center survey results, half of the participants (48 percent) failed to understand the protective benefits of daily low-dose aspirin for heart attacks and strokes despite the research from February 3, 2021, per fortune.com.
Among the participants who exceeded 1,700 in number, only 13 percent understood risks exceeded benefits, but 39 percent remained uncertain, and another 48 percent believed risks remained lower than benefits.
Healthy #seniors were told to take low-dose #aspirin to reduce heart attack/stroke risk. May thought aspirin was a blood thinner, reducing risks that blood clots could cause a #heartattack or #stroke by clogging an artery, says @HealthDayTweets. https://t.co/JKWsCc5EEP
— Always Best Care – Neptune & Monroe (@AlwysBstCreWM) February 4, 2025
About Aspirin usage
Aspirin works as a blood thinner to stop arteries from blocking so patients experience reduced chances of heart attack and stroke.
Owing to its side effect of increasing gastrointestinal bleeding risk, most over-the-counter medications prove dangerous for various types of patients.
In 2019, the American Heart Association, along with the American College of Cardiology, revealed their updated guidelines which specified daily low-dose aspirin (75–100 mg) for cardiovascular disease prevention-
- Adults 71+: Not recommended
- All adults at increased risk of bleeding: Not recommended
- Adults 40–70 at higher risk of heart disease but not bleeding: May be considered
In 2022, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a position that discouraged all adults aged 60 and above from using aspirin for heart disease primary prevention, fortune.com reported.
According to APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson, PhD, “Habits backed by conventional wisdom and the past advice of health care providers are hard to break,” and “Knowing whether taking a low-dose aspirin daily is advisable or not for you is vital health information.”
What more has the survey suggested?
The survey results indicated that adults aged 60 years or above without a history of heart attack or stroke were most likely to assess the advantages of aspirin exceeded its safety risks at 57 percent, while adults between 18 and 39 showed the lowest agreement at 24 percent.
The oldest respondents comprised 7 percent of people with the correct perception of risks outweighing benefits, yet the youngest respondents made up 29 percent.