ASPIRIN TO PREVENT MI IN PATIENTS WITH ONE MAJOR RISK FACTOR

Q: What is Aspirin?

A: Aspirin's chemical name is acetylsalicylic acid. It's the modern version of a substance originally derived from the bark of the white willow tree, which people chewed over 2,000 years ago to relieve pain. Tablet aspirin has been used to treat fever and pain for over 100 years! Today, the new frontier for aspirin uses is in helping to prevent disease, especially heart disease.

Q: I've heard in the news that taking aspirin every day is good, even if I don't have a headache or fever. Why?

A: The news stories refer to aspirin's proven ability to help prevent development of heart disease and occurrence of heart attack and stroke -- especially in people who have higher-than-normal risk of developing these health problems. Studies done over the past 10 years have shown that taking aspirin daily reduces risk of 1) a first heart attack, by 44%; 2) a second heart attack, by 30%; 3) death during a heart attack, by 23%; and 4) stroke, by 25%. Furthermore, the American Heart Association states that chewing an aspirin at the first sign of a heart attack, such as chest pain, could save up to 10,000 lives a year.

Q: The latest daily aspirin dose I've heard recommended is 325 mg. How many aspirin tablets is that?

A: Just one, if the aspirin is regular strength. "Mg" means "milligrams." Check the label to be sure of the milligram-strength you're getting.

Q: Should I just start taking an aspirin a day to prevent heart problems?

A: Even though the benefits of daily aspirin seem obvious, you still need your doctor's advice on whether you should take aspirin regularly. For example, there are some people who cannot take aspirin regularly because of side effects, such as internal bleeding. On the other hand, if you have one or more of the major risk factors for heart disease, your doctor may recommend daily aspirin for you.

Q: What are the major risk factors for heart disease?

A: They include having high blood pressure, having high blood cholesterol levels, smoking, being overweight, having diabetes, being physically inactive and having a family history of heart disease.

For questions concerning aspirin and risk for heart attack, please call us at 916-830-2000.