Aspirin is without a doubt one of the miracles of modern medicine, and it does wonders if taken daily for maintaining heart health. Daily aspirin reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes by preventing platelets from clumping and by thinning the blood. Clumping causes blood clots that clog blood vessels. Daily aspirin may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, like colon cancer. A daily dose of aspirin has therefore become a common treatment for people at high risk of heart attacks or strokes and for maintaining the health of the heart.
The benefits of daily aspirin include: decreasing pain and inflammation; preventing blood clots, therefore reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes; and reducing the risk of death among people suffering from heart attacks, heart disease and those who are physically unfit, those who have undergone bypass surgery and the people with angina.
You may need to start daily aspirin therapy if you have had: a prior heart attack or stroke caused by a blood clot; known blockages or narrowing of arteries in the heart, neck, or legs; diabetes; family history of heart diseases; and multiple risk factors, such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol levels.
The risks of aspirin therapy include: potentially increased risk of stomach ulcers and abdominal bleeding, which, though usually minor, can quickly turn life-threatening and an increased risk of bleeding into the brain during a stroke. Children and teenagers should not be prescribed daily aspirin because of the danger of contracting Reye syndrome, which is associated with the use of daily aspirin.
Recent studies have indicated that the use of daily aspirin is most effective in doses between 80 and 160 milligrams per day. This dose is thought to reduce the risks of internal bleeding and works as well as the higher dose; in fact, it is half of the standard 325-milligram aspirin tablet commonly prescribed. Eighty-one milligrams is the dose in a baby aspirin tablet. However, dose regulation should be done by licensed medical practitioners who will ensure that you are not at risk of internal bleeding.
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