Stopping Daily Aspirin Regimen Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attack

For people diagnosed with heart disease, stopping their daily dose of aspirin puts them at greater risk of suffering a heart attack. A new study out of Spain suggests that the risk of heart attack is significantly increased by discontinuation of a daily low-dose aspirin regimen prescribed by a doctor. The study report was recently published in an online edition of the British Medical Journal.
Taking a daily aspirin in a low dosage that typically ranges between 75 and 300 milligrams is recommended for heart patients to aid in the prevention of blood clots and decrease their risk of secondary cardiovascular events. However, as many as half of patients who begin an aspirin regimen, abruptly stop taking their daily medication.
The results of the new study indicate that the increase in risk for heart attack among those who discontinue the preventative treatment is real. According to lead researcher, Dr. Luis Garcia Rodriguez, director of the Spanish Center for Pharmacoepidemiologic Research in Madrid, these heart patients “should be advised that unless there is a high risk of serious bleeding or otherwise recommended by a doctor, aspirin should never be discontinued given its overwhelming benefits.” He further cautioned, “Also, patients who need to discontinue aspirin should do so for the minimum time necessary.”
For their analysis, the researchers gathered data on 39,513 patients ranging in age from 50 to 84 years,whose medical records were part of a large database in the United Kingdom,known as the Health Improvement Network. The patients in the study had all been prescribed low-dose aspirin therapy between the years 2000 and 2007 as an aid for preventing various cardiac complications that include heart attack.
After approximately three years of follow-up, the research team discovered that a 60 percent increase in the risk of suffering a non-fatal heart attack existed among those patients who stopped taking their daily does of aspirin.
The findings remained the same no matter the duration of a patient’s aspirin regimen prior to stopping their daily meds. This accounts for a total of 4 additional heart attacks per1,000 patients who quit taking aspirin on a daily basis.
The study authors said that the results of their invegestigation supportconclusions of previous studies involving secondary care, and that the latestfindings are applicable to the general population. “Any day off aspirin is a day at risk for patientswith previous cardiovascular disease.”