Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9103070146
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
The researchers argued forcefully for wider use of aspirin, which they say would save the lives of many of the more than 10 million Americans who have had heart attacks or strokes.
"This is one of the most well-worked-out areas in medicine," said one of the directors of the study, Richard Peto of Oxford University. "The curse is that the drug is so bloody cheap that nobody takes it seriously.
"Routine practice in many areas is the exact opposite of what patients need."
"I completely agree with what's been said," added Dr. Eugene Passamani, director of heart disease research at the government's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Doctors have been concerned that aspirin, which interferes with the clotting process, could increase bleeding in the brain, which causes a different type of stroke.
The researchers found only a very slight increase in such strokes, however. "The benefits far outweigh any risks of bleeding," said Dr. Rory Collins, a member of the Oxford group.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers do not know how widely aspirin is being used in heart attack and stroke survivors, but Peto and others are concerned that it is not being used widely enough.
Peto said his study suggests that half an aspirin a day will save 10,000 lives per year in every 1 million Americans treated.
It will also prevent an additional 10,000 non-fatal strokes and heart attacks, which are among the leading causes of disability, he said.
An estimated 936,000 Americans died from heart attacks, strokes and related ailments in 1990, and heart disease costs the nation $144 billion per year, Passamani said.
Dr. Charles Hennekens of Harvard University, who conducted the largest American study of aspirin, said the Oxford study underscores the importance of using aspirin more widely in the hospital immediately following heart attacks.
"The latest survey data says only one in three patients were getting it," he said.
Peto and Hennekens emphasized that people should not begin taking aspirin without consultation with their doctors.
More research is required on the usefulness of aspirin in people who have not yet had a stroke or heart attack, he said.
Peto's study was based on data from more than 200 studies with 100,000 patients.
The study found that aspirin cut the risk of a fatal stroke or heart attack by one-sixth. It cut the risk of a non-fatal stroke or heart attack by one-third, Peto said.
This was equally true in men and women, in diabetics, in people with and without high blood pressure and in people of all ages.
by CNB