This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Aspirin use may slow development of early emphysema
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
DENVER — The use of aspirin for at least 3 days per week slowed the progression of early emphysema, according to study results presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.
“Other than smoking cessation and avoidance, there are no known methods for reducing the risk of developing emphysema,” Carrie P. Aaron, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center, said in a press release. “In our large general population sample, we found that regular aspirin use was associated with a slower progression of percent emphysema on computed tomography scans over 10 years.”
Aaron and colleagues reviewed data of 4,471 participants (mean age, 61 years; 51% women) from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Participants were aged 45 to 84 years without clinical cardiovascular disease in 2000 to 2002. The study assessed participants’ percent emphysema below –950 Hounsfield units on lung fields of cardiac CTs at baseline and one to two follow-ups, as well as full-lung CTs after 10 years.
The researchers hypothesized that aspirin use was associated with slower progression of percent emphysema on CT.
Twenty-one percent of the participants used aspirin for 3 days or more per week, and 55% of the participants were ever-smokers.
Median baseline percent emphysema was 2.92 with a mean increase of 0.83% over 10 years.
The participants who regularly used aspirin, compared with those who did not, had a significantly slower progression of percent emphysema (–0.36%; 95% CI, –0.63 to –0.09) across 10 years. This association remained after confounders such as age, sex, ethnicity and pack-years of cigarettes were included.
“These findings might suggest that regular aspirin use may slow the progression of subclinical emphysema, perhaps through effects on platelet activation or inflammation,” Aaron said. – by Ryan McDonald
Reference:
Aaron CP, et al. LB 69159. Presented at: American Thoracic Society International Conference; May 15-20, 2015; Denver.
Disclosure: Healio.com/Pulmonology was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.