LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN THERAPY

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN THERAPY

Low-dose aspirin therapy is the use of blood-thinning medicine (aspirin), commonly known as acetylsalicylic acid.

This medicine helps avoid heart attacks and stroke in people who are at high risk for them if taken in a low dosage. To avoid another stroke, your doctor may advise you to take a low dose of aspirin. It may also be recommended if you had a heart attack, surgery or chest pain.

Low dose aspirin is usually a tablet. It is often sold in supermarkets and pharmacies. After a heart surgery, it may be given to children with Kawasaki disease. Low dose aspirin with food does not bother with stomach function. When it is prescribed by the doctor, low dose aspirin is safe for everyone.

SYMPTOMS

A burst of blood vessels can cause a stroke. Taking daily aspirin can help prevent a clot-related stroke but could increase the chance for a bleeding stroke.

The risk of developing a stomach ulcer increases while taking daily aspirin. Internal bleeding can also be deadly.

Any amount of aspirin can trigger a serious allergic reaction if you are allergic to it.

Before having any kind of surgery, inform the doctor or the dentist if you have taken aspirin and tell them the exact dosage, as it may affect your bleeding during surgery. If you decide to stop, always tell the doctor.

DIAGNOSIS

The risk for a heart attack is lowered when taking aspirin on a daily basis. Aspirin may not be given to people who have experienced an allergy to it and have a history of bleeding. Weighing in the risk and the benefits, the doctor can decide if you have a high risk of having a first heart attack.

It is not advisable to start therapy of aspirin on your own. Somehow, taking it as a preventive treatment for headaches or using it occasionally can lead to internal bleeding or various side effects.

TREATMENT

To prevent a heart attack, you may talk to your doctor about aspirin therapy. These may be the possible suggestions:

  • You’ve already had a heart attack or stroke.
  • You haven’t had a heart attack, but you have had a stent placed in a coronary artery, you have had coronary bypass surgery, or you have chest pain due to coronary artery disease (angina).
  • You’ve never had a heart attack, but you’re at high risk of having one.
  • You have diabetes and at least one other heart disease risk factor — such as smoking or high blood pressure — and you’re a man older than 50 or a woman older than 60. The use of aspirin to prevent heart attacks in people with diabetes but no other risk factor is controversial.

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