Should we ALL take an aspirin?
Just 10c a pill, but as a new study proves the astonishing powers of the everyday ‘wonder drug’, our team of experts reveal how it could save YOUR life
1 EASING SYMPTOMS OF MIGRAINE
We’ve probably all used this all-rounder drug for aches and pains to ease headaches, muscle pain and toothache. First developed to treat arthritis pain, aspirin belongs to a class of drugs called NSAIDs (non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drugs), as does ibuprofen.
These drugs dampen inflammation by blocking pain-producing chemicals called thromboxanes.
Aspirin differs from paracetamol, which has no anti-inflammatory effect and works on a different pain trigger, the chemical cyclooxygenase. There is emerging evidence that aspirin can be used to tackle the serious headache type condition migraine.
HOW TO TAKE IT: Consultant cardiologist Dr Laura Corr says a higher dose of aspirin – three normal 300mg tablets – can be useful for reducing or relieving the symptoms of an acute migraine attack.
The recommended dose for pain relief is high – 300mg to 900mg every four to six hours. But you shouldn’t exceed 4g daily.
Aspirin works for more than half of sufferers. ‘It’s cheap and readily available over the counter and is as effective as low doses of the prescription-only migraine medicines such as sumatriptan,’ says Dr Corr, of London’s Harley Street Clinic.
‘As with many of the effects of aspirin, we don’t know exactly how it works. But it not only relieves headache pain but also many other migraine symptoms such as visual disturbances.’
2 AVOIDING HEART ATTACKS
The blood contains tiny cell fragments called platelets that play a crucial role in blood clotting. These can cluster together due to the development of cardiovascular disease brought on by a range of factors including diet, weight, genetic risk, lifestyle, blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
If this happens, it can cause clots that block arteries and trigger heart attacks, when part of the heart muscle is starved of oxygen and dies. Aspirin thins the blood by reducing platelets clustering, therefore preventing attacks.
HOW TO TAKE IT: Guidance issued in the US last month by a government-backed panel of independent physicians (the US Preventive Services Task Force) says adults aged 50 to 59 at risk of heart attack should take a low dose of aspirin daily ‘as an insurance policy’. That group includes anyone with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Here, the HSE says a daily 75mg aspirin is suitable for those who have already had heart problems and for over 50s. But Dr Corr is cautious: ‘Although many people take low doses of aspirin – 75mg – every day to prevent heart attacks, the evidence that this does you more good than harm is lacking. It’s now generally recommended only for people who’ve already had a heart attack or suffer angina, or who have had treatment with stents or bypass surgery.’
3 PROTECTING YOU FROM CANCER
Scientists are turning to aspirin to fight cancer. Although not fully understood, the theory is aspirin hinders platelets from protecting cancer cells in the body.
HOW TO TAKE IT: A major study by experts in the US and Europe found that taking aspirin daily for a decade can cut cancer risk. The findings, published in the Annals Of Oncology in 2014, show not much happens in the first five years but after that stomach, oesophageal and colorectal cancer all reduce by about a third.
For lung, prostate and breast cancer it’s around 10%, according to Professor Jack Cusick, who was involved in the research based on people between 50 and 65.
‘If you put all this together, then aspirin is the second most important thing in preventing cancer,’ says Prof. Cusick, head of the centre for cancer prevention at Queen Mary University of London.
‘It takes five years but the benefits are quite striking. A low dose of 75mg of aspirin is something to consider for people in this age group, apart from those with bleeding risks. What’s needed is a change in mindset to recognise the benefits of aspirin in combating cancer.’
If you are in this age group and are concerned you may be at an increased risk of these cancers, eg due to family history, discuss with your GP whether you may benefit from low-dose aspirin.
4 REDUCING RISK OF MINI-STROKES
Taking aspirin after minor strokes could limit harm caused by further strokes accord-
ing to a University of Oxford study published this month based on data from 15 aspirin trials involving 56,000 stroke patients.
HOW TO TAKE IT: Cardiac surgeon Inderpaul Birdi says: ‘Many patients are on aspirin for the prevention of recurrent stroke or mini-stroke. Aspirin inhibits clots forming where the arteries are furred up.’
Clots block blood vessels in the the brain and cause strokes. He says that recent guidance in Britain suggests that a prescription anti-clotting drug called Clopidogrel should be used as a preferred stroke-prevention drug in these patients.
‘If aspirin is used, it should be combined with the drug dipyridamole as this combination is more effective than aspirin alone.’
5 PREVENTING MISCARRIAGE
Women with conditions that make them prone to clotting, such as Hughes syndrome, also known as sticky blood, face the misery of recurrent miscarriage. Peter Bowen-Simpkins, medical director of London Women’s Clinic, says the theory is that the bloodthinning properties of aspirin ‘prevent tiny clots forming in the blood vessels leading to the womb that can kill off a pregnancy’.
HOW TO TAKE IT: Several studies suggest a daily dose of aspirin combined with the bloodthinner heparin can reduce the risk. High blood pressure – or pre-eclampsia – during the second half of pregnancy also puts women at risk of miscarriage. A review of existing trials by the US Preventive Services Task Force in 2014 found that daily low-dose aspirin could reduce the risk by nearly a quarter.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Clive Spence-Jones says: ‘It’s not for everyone but could benefit high-risk mothers who have previously had pre-eclampsia and problems affecting the baby, such as prematurity and slow growth.’