A daily aspirin is not for everyone

New research shows taking aspirin on a regular basis can almost double the risk of suffering major bleeding episodes.

The new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has found that taking aspirin every day can lead to an increase risk of bleeds by almost 50%.

While aspirin is often prescribed to reduce risks for those who have previously suffered strokes and heart attacks, the research shows that the benefits are outweighed by the risk of bleeds for those who have not yet suffered a cardiovascular event.

The systematic review from scientists at King’s College London and King’s College Hospital looked at the outcomes of more than 1,000 participants with no history of heart and circulatory disease.

The results did show aspirin use was associated with an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular events. However, daily aspirin use also showed a 43% increase in major bleed events compared to those who did not take it.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said:

“This large study confirms what we already know. Current guidelines do not recommend aspirin for people who don’t already have heart and circulatory diseases. This is because, while aspirin reduces these people’s risk of heart attacks and strokes, any benefit is outweighed by an increased risk of bleeding.

“If you have a heart attack, your doctor will usually prescribe a daily aspirin to try and prevent a second attack. In this case, the reduced risk of a second life-threatening heart attack substantially outweighs the risk of side effects, such as bleeding.

“The risk of bleeding from aspirin is likely to differ between groups of people. Further research may well uncover subsets of people where benefits do outweigh risks, paving the way for personalised treatments.”

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TAKING ASPIRIN