Should heart attack patients take aspirin to avoid stroke? What doctors suggest

Fewer than half of people worldwide who have already had one heart attack or stroke take daily aspirin to prevent a second one, according to a new study.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggested that increasing daily aspirin use in such patients could reduce cardiovascular deaths.

The authors of the study, published in the journal JAMA, stated that survivors of heart attack and stroke often face a high risk of having subsequent events.

Cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, is the leading cause of death globally. Multiple studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s established that antiplatelet therapy, including aspirin, can reduce the risk of a second cardiovascular event, such as a second heart attack or stroke, by about one-quarter.

Since then, daily aspirin has been recommended for this purpose.

Lead author Sang Gune Yoo, a cardiovascular disease fellow in the Cardiovascular Division said, “Many people die from having recurring attacks. Aspirin offers one effective and relatively low-cost option for reducing the likelihood of additional events in individuals with established cardiovascular disease, and yet most people who could benefit from a daily aspirin don’t take it.”

However, despite the benefits of aspirin, the study showed that in low-income countries, only 16.6 per cent of eligible individuals, those who had experienced a first heart attack or stroke, were taking aspirin to prevent a second heart attack or stroke.

Dr LK Jha, Associate Director, Interventional Cardiology at Asian hospital, told IndiaToday.in that the reason why asprin is taken for heart attack patients is due to its anti platelet agent that prevents platelets from clumping, thereby clogging the blood vessel.

“Aspirin reduces chances of repeat heart attack by 20-25 per cent. It is recommended to be taken life long unless contraindicated. Don’t stop without consulting your doctor. It is the single most important medicine to prevent repeated heart attack,” said Dr Jha.

Dr Manjinder Sandhu, a cardiologist at Max Healthcare, said that even though the study shows that very few heart attack patients consume aspirin, in India the numbers are higher.

“In India, the usage is much higher (50-60 per cent, as reported in various studies) probably because of easy availability and low cost,” said Dr Majunder Sandhu.

However, unlike the study, he pointed out that aspirin might not be ideal for many patients as it could increase the risk of bleeding.

“It still is not ideal and more of such patients should be on long term therapy with either of these drugs. These drugs can increase bleeding risk specifically from the gut and therefore therapy should be initiated and monitored by a qualified physician,” said Dr Sandhu.