An aspirin a day really does keep heart attack and stroke away for women, yet fewer than half of American women who could benefit from the simple measure do not take a daily pill, according to recent research. HealthDay News reports that those who should or shouldn’t take aspirin preventatively or to avert further problems for those who have CVD depends on such factors as age, high cholesterol and presence of diabetes.
"Aspirin works for women who already have cardiovascular disease, for those with multiple risk factors [for suffering a heart attack or stroke] and for healthy women over the age of 65," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, chief of women's cardiac care at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and author of The Women's Healthy Heart Program, HealthDay News reported.
That’s her summary of several recent studies and the latest guidelines issued by the American Heart Association. According to those guidelines, there's good reason to prescribe a daily aspirin for high-risk women, however, the decision is more complex, says AHA, for women at intermediate and lower risk. Aspirin’s side effects, including possible gastrointestinal bleeding, may outweigh benefits in low and moderate risk populations.
Full article available at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_40900.html
November 18, 2024 
