Q: Doctor, Hello. I have a query related to Disprin tablet. My mother, aged 58y, has a blood pressure problem. She has made a habit of taking Disprin whenever she gets a bodyache. I think somebody has told her that Disperin is very good for the heart. Now for the past few weeks I have been noticing that she is taking Disprin very frequently - 5 times in a week. I want to ask if Disprin is harmful for people having raised blood pressure? Its very rare for her blood pressure to be normal. I think Disprin is not good for health because some time back one of my colleague's mother had a tumour (initial stage) and she told me that she was taking Disprin regularly whenever she had headache which was almost daily. So I am a bit confused about Disprin. What exactly is this drug for?

A:Disprin or any other form of aspirin is effective for treating pain and fever. A dose of about 360 milligrams is taken daily by many older people to prevent heart attacks. This is usually quite safe, but in some people stomach irritation leads to ulceration or gastritis with dyspepsia and the possibility of slow bleeding, which causes anaemia, or a sudden severe bleed which requires emergency treatment. In asthmatic subjects, aspirin sometimes makes the asthma worse. It is very rare for other serious adverse side effects to occur.