Aspirin, Still The Wonder Drug?
Aspirin is often called the wonder drug because it's used to treat and prevent many illnesses. Early Show health correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports on new findings on this medicine-cabinet staple and answers viewers E-mails.
Aspirin has come a long way since it made its debut more than 100 years ago. It is a tried and tested pain reliever extraordinaire for many of life's everyday aches, pains and headaches - the kind caused by life's hard knocks. But in the last 20 years, researchers have found its beneficial effects go far beyond the headache.
It is no joke these days when your doctor says "take two aspirin and call me in the morning," though it's probably more like "take 81 Mg. per day and make an appointment for your next regularly scheduled visit."
It's becoming more and more common to prescribe daily low-dose aspirin for patients with heart problems or you are at risk of heart disease. That's because aspirin thins the blood by interfering with the ability of the blood to form clots, and reduces inflammation of the arteries, both which can contribute to heart attack and stroke. But research also has shown a number of other good uses for the heart patient.
Heart health benefits of aspirin: We know it's good for reducing the damaging effects of a heart attack while that attack is in progress. It can reduce the chances of a second heart attack if it's taken regularly following a first heart attack. And if you are at risk of heart problems, it is now recommended that you talk to your doctor about taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attack.
If you wonder whether or not you should be taking aspirin to prevent a heart attack, you should ask your doctor. He or she will take into account many different risk factors that add up to a percentage of overall risk. A three percent risk of heart attack in the next five years is the current guideline for prescribing regular aspirin. For people who are otherwise healthy, below the three percent five-year risk, the potential side effects of daily aspirin may outweigh the benefits.
Side effects of aspirin: Aspirin can cause bleeding, especially in the stomach and other parts of the digestive system. And it can cause a severe form of bleeding stroke. An overdose can kill. Some people can have a rare allergic reaction.
In early results, it has been shown that aspirin helps to fight other diseases. Its blood-thinning qualities may help blindness caused by cardiovascular disease in diabetics, it has been shown to reduce the likelihood of polyps prone to develop into colon cancer in people with a family history of this problem. Other studies have shown possibilities of helping to prevent prostate cancer, Alzheimer's disease, gum disease and even infertility. Again, this is all early research.
Inflammation reduction is an immune response that if protracted or severe can cause problems in a variety of different areas. Aspirin may help to prevent the problems that result from the inflammation of the brain, arteries and other areas that become irritated.
The research is too preliminary to prescribe aspirin for these diseases, but results of research now under way will reinforce these early findings with enough weight to make aspirin a viable prevention tool for the future.