Re: aspirin as a preventative --- basic query

From: Griffin (nospam_at_here.net)
Date: 08/29/04 

Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 21:34:30 GMT

On 2004-08-29 17:10:49 -0400, "MB" <mel@prodigy.invalid.net> said:

> My doctor is starting to suggest that his
> patients (in my type situation) take a baby aspirin per day (81 mg). Is this
> generally now recommended

Yes, assuming that the risk/benefit ratio favors aspirin therapy (I'm
assuming your doctor has gone through that exercise). I can't tell you,
since you only provided a total cholesterol, and didn't mention your
HDL, LDL, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, waist circumference,
smoking status, and whether or not your normal blood pressure is
achieved with antihypertensive medications. Your HDL and LDL values in
particular may in and of themselves determine whether or not daily
aspirin therapy is a good idea at this point. As an example, using the
total cholesterol values you gave, assuming your HDL is low-ish (35-39)
and LDL is high (130-159), your 10-year coronary heart disease risk
(based on ATP-III and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) would be about
12%, making you a candidate for low-dose daily aspirin therapy
(anything above about 10% tilts the risk-benefit ratio in favor of
therapy). However, if your HDL is higher or your LDL lower, you may
have a much lower 10-year risk, making aspirin therapy unnecessary
(read: unhelpful and unnecesarily risky).

> and also does it matter what brand or even what
> type (eg: chewable).

No, as long as the dose does not exceed 81mg daily. There is no
additional benefit with higher doses, and the risk of bruising/bleeding
will be greater.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Statins
    ... David Rind wrote: ... that's a modestly elevated LDL with a good HDL. ... Assuming no other cardiac risk factors, the US guidelines would say to try to get that LDL down below 160 with lifestyle changes and would recommend drug therapy if the LDL were above 190. ...
    (sci.med)
  • Re: Statins
    ... that's a modestly elevated LDL with a good HDL. ... Assuming no other cardiac risk factors, the US guidelines would say to try to get that LDL down below 160 with lifestyle changes and would recommend drug therapy if the LDL were above 190. ... However, women are at lower baseline risk, all other things being equal, and so with the same set of risk factors will get a smaller absolute benefit. ...
    (sci.med)
  • Re: Statins
    ... just north of 240 (I don't have the lab report in front of me--her LDL ... is elevated slightly, but her HDL is good--164, I think). ... total blood cholesterol or LDL levels. ... to be at risk for CAD. ...
    (sci.med)
  • Re: Statins
    ... just north of 240 (I don't have the lab report in front of me--her LDL ... is elevated slightly, but her HDL is good--164, I think). ... total blood cholesterol or LDL levels. ... to be at risk for CAD. ...
    (sci.med)