Healthy people, who use aspirin as a precaution against heart attack, might do more harm than good, warns a review study.
“Taking the drug daily in the belief that it is a way to protect against heart attack or stroke can lead to serious abdominal problems, including internal bleedings,” said the study published in medical journal Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).
Asserting that stomach bleeding could be fatal, Ike Ikeanacho, editor of DTB said, “The risks should not be dismissed. In people who have never had a heart attack or stroke, the evidence does not support them being on this drug.”
Pointing out that many healthy people take aspirin every day as a precaution, Ikeanacho said, though they don’t have any precise figures but it is very common for people to start themselves on aspirin.
“While some people would continue to take the drug no matter what the risks, most were unaware of its potentially dangerous side-effects,” he added.
Asking doctors to review use of aspirin with all patients they think are taking the drug, including diabetics and otherwise healthy people, the study said, those persons who have already had a heart attack can continue with the drug if prescribed by their doctor.
The drug is currently prescribed to those who have already had a heart attack and diabetics over 50 years of age and having blood pressure, The Telegraph reported.
