1 in 3 older Americans take aspirin daily. What does it do?
Nearly one in three Americans over the age of 60 — roughly 19 million people — take aspirin daily, according to a 2021 study in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Should you be among that group?
Aspirin is an over-the-counter medication used for a variety of reasons, but particularly in heart attack and stroke prevention for older people.
Dr. Michael J. Blaha, MD, MPH, Director of Clinical Research for the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, is breaking down how exactly aspirin helps with those health conditions and whether you should ask your doctor about taking it, depending on what your health concerns are.
What does aspirin do?
Aside from pain treatment, doctors may prescribe aspirin to patients who are at risk of heart attack or stroke, according to Harvard Health. These two serious health conditions occur when plaque forms in arteries, which can slow down blood flow in the body and cause small blood clots to form. Blocking or disrupting blood flow to the heart is what causes a heart attack, while blocked or disrupted blood flow to the head causes a stroke.
Here's where aspirin can come into play: it thins blood, which makes clots less likely.
"Aspirin can reduce heart attacks and strokes, and to some degree other clots like those in the deep veins of the legs," Blaha says. "In low doses, aspirin inhibits platelets and therefore reduces blood clots."
More: Why you should reconsider taking daily aspirin
Does aspirin thin blood quickly?
Thinning blood and therefore making clots less likely is a definite pro for those who are at higher risk of cardiovascular issues. But that doesn't make aspirin a prime candidate for everyone.
"In cardiovascular disease, we commonly prefer blood thinning because many cardiovascular diseases are the result of blood clots," Blaha says. "However, blood thinning is inevitably accompanied by an increased risk of bleeding."
Because of that increased risk of bleeding, those who have a history of bleeding or who have gastrointestinal disorders should not take aspirin, Blaha says. Aspirin "weakens the stomach's protective lining against stomach acid, making the stomach and intestines more vulnerable to ulcers, which can bleed," according to Harvard Health.
Those who are "at low to moderate risk of cardiovascular disease without any evidence of subclinical disease on imaging or prior heart attack or stroke" should also avoid taking aspirin, Blaha adds.
More than three million Americans reported taking aspirin without consulting a medical professional first, according to that 2021 survey. But the American Heart Association warns against taking daily low-dose aspirin without talking to your doctor first.
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"Too may low risk patients were taking aspirin in the past, sometimes without consulting a medical professional," Blaha notes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does aspirin do?
