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Aspirin-a-day therapy
Ebony, July, 2005
Q Although I exercise and try to eat the right foods, I have a constant fear that I'll develop some form of heart disease anyway. Should I begin taking an aspirin a day to make sure that I reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke?
A.M., Milwaukee
A Heart specialists say many people have had great success with the aspirin-a-day therapy, but no one should begin this preventative measure without the approval of a physician.
Doctors say taking as little as one baby aspirin a day can help prevent a heart attack in people who are at high risk for one. One in every five deaths in the U.S. is caused by heart disease.
Studies examined by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have indicated that daily or every-other-day aspirin therapy reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 28 percent in persons who had never experienced a heart attack or stroke, but who were considered at high risk.
It should be noted, however, that doctors say the level of stomach protection is decreased when you take aspirin, and you are doubly likely to have a perforated ulcer or bleeding in the GI tract.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
