a new study has revealed that low-dose aspirin therapy could not prove effective for older people suffering from heart ailments.
The study included 14,464 patients (60 to 85 years of age) with hypertension, dyslipidemia (poor cholesterol or triglyceride levels), or diabetes mellitus who were randomized to aspirin or no aspirin in addition to ongoing medications.
The researchers found that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in time to the primary end point (a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal stroke, and nonfatal heart attack). At 5 years after randomization, the cumulative primary event rate was similar in participants in the aspirin group (2.77 percent) and those in the no aspirin group (2.96 percent).
Researchers said that there is also a growing body of evidence to suggest benefits for aspirin in the prevention of colorectal and other cancers, and the prevention of cancer recurrence, including in the Japanese population. Reduction in the incidence of colorectal cancer may influence the overall benefit-risk profile of aspirin. Further analyses of [this] study data are planned, including analysis of deaths associated with cancers, to allow more precise identification of the patients for whom aspirin treatment may be most beneficial.
The study was published in JAMA.
