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Use Of Aspirin To Prevent Heart Attacks On The Decline

April 11, 2007

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Although taking an aspirin regularly can lower the risk of heart attacks, a new study finds that fewer and fewer adults are using the common pain reliever for prevention.

Past studies have proven that aspirin can prevent a heart attack in people with heart disease and can lower the chances of getting heart disease for people with high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. When the researchers set out to learn how many adults in the U.S. are actually using the pill for prevention, they were in for a surprise.

The authors examined responses from 1,299 adults ages 40 and older who took part in a nationwide online survey.

The results, which are published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed just 41 percent of the participants said they took aspirin regularly.

"Based on the broad-scale recommendation for the use of aspirin in at-risk subjects, we expected to see greater than 70 percent utilization rates," said study co-author Steven Weisman, Ph.D., of Innovative Science Solutions in Morristown, N.J.

Weisman and his colleagues also asked whether participants had discussions about aspirin use with their health care providers, and only one-third (33 percent) reported doing so. But, of the 41 percent who took aspirin regularly, 88 percent had talked about it with their doctors. Weisman says this shows doctors can influence aspirin use and that there is a need for better provider-patient communication about aspirin’s preventive benefits.

"We have had extensive discussions with doctors related to this issue and found that many find the limited time available during an office visit a barrier to discussing preventative matters," he said.

Frederick Masoudi, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, agreed these types of conversations are important in doctor–patient relationships.

"Optimally, physicians would discuss the use of aspirin, as well as other medical therapies, with their patients, and this study suggests that such discussions may result in greater use of aspirin," he said.

"Ideally, these discussions would also include an assessment of the possible benefits and risks of [aspirin] therapy."

However, Masoudi acknowledged that doctors are challenged by the competing demands on their time.

"Although in theory, practitioners should be discussing aspirin use with those patients who are at high risk for cardiovascular events, doing this and accomplishing all of the other important objectives in care is progressively more difficult," he said.

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