IT’S BAD FOR...

1 HAEMOPHILIACS AND CHILDREN

Aspirin is a powerful medication and, as with all drugs, it can have side effects. There are also a number of people who cannot take it, including:

Those who have had an allergic reaction to aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, in the past Asthma sufferers Anyone who has had stomach ulcers, or severe liver or kidney problems Those with haemophilia or another blood disorder, or uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Cardiologist Inderpaul Birdi explains that aspirin is not recommended for general daily use, given the evidence linking it to internal bleeding. ‘This suggests that the benefits in healthy people are heavily outweighed by the risk of gastrointestinal irritation and bleeding,’ says Mr Birdi.

It is also not recommended for children under the age of 16 because of the risk of the very rare but serious complication of Reye’s syndrome, which causes swelling in the liver and brain.

2 SUFFERERS OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

People with an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate – classified as more than 100 beats per minute – which is also known as atrial fibrillation (AF). GPs still prescribe aspirin for about a third of AF patients at increased risk of stroke.

However, according to recent guidelines in Britain, doctors should be switching them to newer anticoagulant drugs (NOACs). The reason is aspirin is not as effective in preventing stroke, and the bleeding risk negates any benefits.

Kings College London Professor Jeremy Pearson says: ‘Aspirin shouldn’t be used by AF patients because the risks of bleeding in the gut outweigh any benefits in reducing strokes.

‘GPs should be putting people [at high risk of stroke] on anticoagulant drugs unless they need to take aspirin for other reasons. ’

3 ‘ECONOMY-CLASS SYNDROME’

Although aspirin is effective in preventing blood clots that form in arteries – which lead to heart attacks and strokes – it is not effective in breaking down clots that block veins.

This means it will not prevent a venous thromboembolism (VTE), a condition where parts of blood clots in the legs – a deepvein thrombosis, or DVT – break off and travel to the blood vessels between the heart and lungs, causing a potentially fatal blockage. Typically, VTEs occur after periods of prolonged inactivity (such as in a cramped flight or hospital bed). Dehydration, being overweight and older age increase the risk.