People in their 50s who are at risk of experiencing a stroke or a heart attack would benefit from taking low doses of aspirin every day, according to recommendations made by medical experts in the United States.
Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a narrower version of their previous proposal in which the panel reported that 50- to 59-year-old individuals who regularly take low doses of aspirin daily could experience a reduction in their stroke and heart disease risks.
The task force also discovered that people may benefit from a reduction of colorectal cancer risk if they take aspirin regularly for at least 10 years.
The recent proposal by the USPSTF featured guidelines that are separated based on gender and also included recommendations for aspirin use for individuals who are outside the 50- to 59-year-old age group mentioned in the previous draft.
The changes made on the panel's recommendations are based on the inclusion of colorectal cancer risk as well as the addition of four other clinical trials on aspirin use conducted since 2009.
USPSTF panel member Dr. Doug Owens said that they only recommend aspirin use to people who are at a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease and who are not likely to suffer any bleeding complications.
In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied requests to label aspirin for the use of stroke and heart attack prevention.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force examined the broader health benefits of aspirin use as well as other related evidence, according to Owens, who is also part of the Stanford School of Medicine.
The latest aspirin use recommendation specifically targets patients who are expected to live for at least 10 years, and those who have a 10 percent or higher risk of stroke or heart attack during those years.
The stroke and heart attack risks are based on the calculator designed by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology that also considers blood pressure and cholesterol as key factors.
For individuals who are at risk and are already in their 60s, USPSTF recommendations state that the health benefits of taking low doses of aspirin daily is not as large as those for people in their 50s. The guidelines also noted that the choice to take the medicine should be made based on each case.
The task force noted that it did not have sufficient data that could help determine whether individuals who are in their 50s or younger and those who are in their 70s or older should regularly take low-dose aspirin daily.
