Prevention of cardiovascular disease, i.e., the prevention of heart attacks and strokes. Should we take a low-dose aspirin every day? The answer has changed. The new answer, for most of us, is “No.”
Acetylsalicylic acid is also known as ASA and aspirin. Daily low-dose aspirin has been standard in preventive medicine for decades. However, in 2018, three randomized controlled clinical trials, the ARRIVE, ASCEND, and ASPREE trials, were published. All three showed that the benefit was very small, or, limited to certain individuals. As a result, the 2016 guidelines were updated in 2022.
In 2016, daily low-dose aspirin for prevention had been recommended in virtually all adults. In 2022, after the guideline update, with two new recommendations, daily low-dose aspirin is not exactly recommended for “no one,” but practically it is recommended for no one. Ask your GP (your primary care physician) whether or not you should take daily low-dose aspirin for prevention.