Health. Millions of elderly Americans continue to take aspirin every day despite medical warnings
In the United States, almost one in six senior continues to consume aspirin every day to prevent heart attacks or strokes. This figure, revealed by a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologyworries the health authorities because it contradicts the official recommendations updated in recent years.
Among more than 2,500 Americans aged 50 to 80 interviewed, around 25 % say they take aspirin daily, and 14.5 % to prevent so-called “primary” cardiovascular disease, that is to say without known history. Even more worrying: almost a quarter of these users would have started this treatment without the advice of a healthcare professional, and 8 % have never spoken to their doctor.
A remedy that can hurt more than good
“For patients with no cardiovascular history, the benefits of aspirin intake can be counterbalanced by an increased risk of internal bleeding, especially as you get older”, Alert the researcher Jordan K. Schaefer, of the University of Michigan. Because aspirin, by fluidifying blood, increases the risk of digestive or intracranial hemorrhages – a largely unknown danger.
Already in 2019, the major American medical authorities such as the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association had changed their recommendations: aspirin should no longer be systematically used in primary prevention among those over 60. In 2022, the powerful US Preventive Services Task Force ratified this warning.
Despite these changes, the idea that “aspirin protects the heart” remains deeply rooted. About 80 % of respondents still believe in its virtues for general health, according to the survey. But 68 % also recognize that it increases the risk of hemorrhages – a sign of persistent confusion in the minds of the public.
This contradiction illustrates a failure of public health campaigns to update mentalities: for a large part of the baby boomers, the small white pill remains a precautionary reflex, even which has become potentially dangerous.
A now targeted recommendation
The new directives are however clear: Only patients who have already undergone an infarction or a stroke should continue to take low -dose aspirin, and always under medical supervision. For the others, the risk of hemorrhagic exceeds the expected benefits.
A preceding poll from the University of Pennsylvania confirmed this confusion: 48 % of American adults estimated that the benefits of daily aspirin won over the risks. But only 13 % knew that the new recommendations reversed this balance to the detriment of systematic prevention.
This school case recalls the importance of not trivializing treatments which, poorly used, can become harmful. Self -medication, especially at an advanced age, must be avoided. In France too, where the prescription of low -dose aspirin has long been common, it is crucial to check with your doctor the real usefulness of this treatment with regard to the risks involved.
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