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Older Americans with no CVD history take aspirin as preventative measure

Nearly half of older U.S. adults, with and without a history of cardiovascular disease, are currently taking aspirin regularly, after having discussed it with a provider.

“Only 25% of respondents who had not had a discussion about aspirin with a provider reported regular use versus 90% of those who did. This finding is important given that aspirin is available without a prescription and decisions about its use do not necessarily involve a health care provider,” Craig D. Williams, PharmD, of the department of pharmacy practice at Oregon State University, and colleagues wrote.

Researchers surveyed 2,509 U.S. adults, aged 45 to 75 years, to assess the correlation between aspirin use and patients’ knowledge of aspirin.

Results demonstrated that 52% of participants were currently using aspirin. Current aspirin users reported taking aspirin for the prevention of heart attack (84%), stroke (66%), cancer (18%) or Alzheimer’s disease (11%).

Among participants with a history of cardiovascular disease (2,039), 47% reported current aspirin use. Participants who had major cardiovascular disease risk factors (OR = 3; 95% CI, 2.4-3.7), had high self-assessed knowledge of aspirin (OR = 9.1; 95% CI, 5.2-15.7) or had discussed aspirin use with a physician (OR = 25.9; 95% CI, 19.7-34.1) were more likely to use aspirin regularly.

Regular aspirin use was also associated with healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as physical activity, healthy food habits, healthy weight and stress management.

The researchers noted that more studies are needed to evaluate the risk factors of regular aspirin use. Additionally, with 18% of aspirin users reporting cancer prevention as their reasoning for use, more research is needed to determine aspirin’s effectiveness for that purpose.

“There’s no doubt that aspirin use can have value for people who have experienced a first heart attack, stroke or angina. The data to support that is very strong. The support of its use in primary prevention is more of a mixed bag,” Williams said in a press release. – by Casey Hower

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.