Aspirin not beneficial for aged

Doctor's often recommend a daily dose of aspirin to prevent heart attacks or stroke. But in older people bleeding risks might counteract the benefits of the drug. Researchers from the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia found that elderly individuals are at increased risk of having adverse reactions to drugs. However, most of the clinical trials, however, looking into the prevention of cardiovascular events with aspirin have involved middle-aged subjects. To further investigate the matter, the researching team constructed a mathematical model based on clinical trial data and demographics to compare risks and benefits of low-dose aspirin in a theoretical cohort of 10,000 men and 10,000 women ages 70 to 74. The virtual participants were followed until they died or reached 100 years of age. The model suggested that, for men, routine low-dose aspirin therapy would prevent 389 heart attacks and 19 strokes; for women, the numbers were 321 heart attacks and 35 strokes. However, this benefit was offset by an extra 499 episodes of gastric bleeding in men and 572 in women. On top of that, the team calculated that 76 more men and 54 more women would suffer bleeding in the brain. The findings suggest the need for a randomized clinical trial of aspirin use in elderly patients and the importance of targeting preventive treatment to those for whom the potential balance of benefit versus harm is optimal.