The risk of long-term daily aspirin use in adults aged 75 or over
In people aged 75 or over, long-term daily aspirin use is linked to a higher than expected risk of disabling or fatal bleeding, according to a new study in The Lancet.
While short-term aspirin use after a stroke or heart attack has clear benefits, the authors say that patients over 75 who take aspirin on a daily basis should be prescribed a proton-pump inhibitor (heartburn drugs) to reduce the risk of bleeding.
The advice for lifelong treatment is based on trials mostly done in patients younger than 75, with a follow up of approximately 2-4 years.
Previous studies have shown there is a causal link between antiplatelet treatment and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and although the risk is known to increase with age, estimates on the size of the risk vary widely there are few data on whether severity of bleeding also increases with age.
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