Despite recommendations that many older adults should not use aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease, a lot of people continue to take it, a new survey finds. As a result, doctors need to ask patients about their aspirin use, and talk about the benefits and risks with them, the authors said.
The findings were published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine. Investigators at Cleveland Clinic evaluated data from the National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult component (including 2012–2019 and 2021) to evaluate trends in aspirin use specifically to prevent cardiovascular disease.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association don’t recommend that everyone over 70 take aspirin regularly to prevent cardiovascular disease — a 2019 reversal from previous guidance. The findings suggest that doctors and patients need to try to reduce inappropriate use of aspirin among older adults, the authors said
For the poll, people aged 40 and up reported on their aspirin use. The data was broken down by age group and cardiovascular disease status, including history of stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease or angina. Overall, aspirin use went down from 2018 to 2019.
Some 25.6 million adults reported taking aspirin in the US in 2021; 18.5 million adults aged 60 years or older took it that year. About one third of people 60 and up who don’t have cardiovascular disease were still taking aspirin in 2021. Even more, about 1 in 20 people took it without medical advice.
.Results from the University of Michigan National Poll on Health Aging showed in March that about 1 in 4 older adults pop an aspirin at least three times per week. The researchers said many people don’t need to take the low-dose aspirin, as 57% of people between 50 and 80 years old who take the aspirin don’t have a history of heart disease.
