While researchers have known that low-dose aspirin can reduce the risk of heart attack in men, many people had assumed that an aspirin regimen would have similar effects in women. However, the results of a landmark study by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) show that aspirin may have different effects on men and women. The Women's Health Study found that taking low-dose aspirin on alternate dates, for most women, did not prevent first heart attacks or deaths from cardiovascular disease in women. There was, however, a significantly lower risk of stroke in women over 65 who took low-dose aspirin.
According to an official statement issued by Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, Director of the NHLBI, "The bottom line is that many women, especially those 65 and older, may benefit from taking low-dose aspirin every other day to prevent stroke But it is important for women to weigh the risk and benefits of taking aspirin and to consult with their doctor."
Past studies have found that regularly taking low-dose aspirin can reduce the risk of first heart attacks in men, but there has been little research on women. In a study conducted by researchers from the NHLBI, with support from both the NHBLI and the National Cancer Institute, 45,000 healthy women ages 45 and over were randomized to receive either 100 mg of aspirin on alternate days or placebo. The women were followed for 10 years.
The study found that found that aspirin did not prevent first heart attacks or death from cardiovascular disease in women. However, in women 65 years of age and older, the aspirin regimen did reduce the risk of stroke. Among this group of women, aspirin also decreased the risk of major cardiovascular events by 26%. These findings suggest that aspirin is most effective in women 65 years of age or older.
The researchers also found some side effects associated with an aspirin regimen. Most notably, there was a 40 percent increase in episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding among women taking aspirin. Internal bleeding is a known side effect of the medicine. Some of these cases required a blood transfusion.
"Above all, women, like men, should adopt the well-proven approaches that reduce the risk of heart disease - eating for heart health, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and controlling high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes," said Dr. Nabel.
- The article, "A Randomized Trial of Low-Dose Aspirin in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women," is published in the March 7, 2005 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, http://content.nejm.org/
- The March 7, 2005 statement by Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health on the Findings of the Women's Health Study was published in March 2005 at http://www.nih.gov/
- Imaginis provides information on heart disease at http://www.imaginis.com/heart-disease/
