Aspirin is a blood thinner. Depending on your health condition, that can be good or bad.
The debate over whether people ages 60 and up should take aspirin continues as medical experts learn more about the potential pros and cons of long-term use.
Aspirin is an over-the-counter medication used for a variety of reasons, but particularly in heart attack and stroke prevention for older people. Aside from pain treatment, doctors may prescribe aspirin to patients who are at risk of heart attack or stroke, according to Harvard Health.
Dr. Michael J. Blaha, director of clinical research for the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, is breaking down how aspirin can help with those conditions and how blood-thinning may be a benefit or a danger to your particular health condition.
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Is aspirin a blood thinner?
Yes, aspirin is a blood thinner. For those who are at high risk of heart attack or stroke, this is beneficial.
Heart attacks and strokes 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 sasys. "In low doses, aspirin inhibits platelets and therefore reduces blood clots."
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."
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Who should not take aspirin?
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. And more than three million Americans reported taking aspirin without consulting a medical professional first.
But the American Heart Association warns against taking daily low-dose aspirin without talking to your doctor first.
"Too may low-risk patients were taking aspirin in the past, sometimes without consulting a medical professional," Blaha notes. In general, 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, he adds.
Because of its increased risk of bleeding, those who have a history of bleeding or who have gastrointestinal disorders should not take aspirin, Blaha adds. 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.
You should also talk to your doctor before discontinuing aspirin use if you have a history of heart attacks or stroke, Blaha adds.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is aspirin a blood thinner?
