The use of low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes should be limited, according to the draft guidelines presented by an independent committee in the United States.
The proposal to change the recommendations is based on growing evidence that the risk of serious side effects, such as bleeding in the brain, outweighs the potential benefits in most cases.
The 16-member Preventive Services Group, whose opinions help shape US health policies, is also reviewing its previous recommendation to use aspirin as a preventative measure for colon cancer.
According to the draft recommendations, which was put up for public consultation by November 8, doctors should be careful in prescribing low-dose aspirin to people under 60 who have not had a heart attack, even if the risk of a heart attack exceeds the 10% over a decade. In these cases, the decision should be made "at the individual level", the commission said.
The committee also recommends that aspirin not be given prophylactically to people 60 years of age and older, as the risk of serious side effects increases with age.
However, people already taking aspirin prophylaxis should not stop taking it on their own.
In addition, the new recommendations do not apply to those who have already suffered a heart attack.
Aspirin has an anticoagulant effect and prevents the formation of clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke. At the same time, its systematic use increases the risk of bleeding episodes, especially in the brain and gastrointestinal tract.
The new Preventive Services group recommendations come two years after the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association decided to change guidelines and recommend limiting aspirin use to people between the ages of 40 and 70.
The new draft recommendation lowers the age limit to 60 years.
in.gr