Have you considered the risks and benefits of aspirin and the elderly? For those who are looking for help in preventing heart disease, this can be the answer. But the benefits of aspirin and the elderly, especially for those over 70, can be undermined by the risk of increasing cases of serious bleeding.
The British Medical Journal recently created an experiment to recreate the implications of the routine use of aspirin and the elderly using 20,000 people, men and women, between the ages of 70-74 with no history of heart disease.
The figures gained in the study indicated that the balance between benefit and harm could go either way. It was urged by the researchers, that medical professionals should avoid the temptation of blindly prescribing low doses of this drug to prevent heart disease in all older people.
After 6 clinical trials into the benefits of low doses of this medication towards the prevention of cardiovascular disease, it was concluded that those under the greatest risk should be medicated. Though an older population ranks high in this risk area, it is still necessary to enlist caution especially if self-prescribing. Always make sure to discuss any medications - over the counter or not - in this instance with your doctor in order to weigh the pros and cons of the benefits you want to achieve.
