Heart Attack – Aspirin

Transcript

“Is aspirin right for me? There’s a lot of research and a lot of talk about who should be on aspirin. Obviously aspirin is used to prevent heart attacks. It does so by thinning the blood so that it’s less likely to form a blood clot, which causes heart attacks. But is aspirin safe for everybody? Remember, aspirin is a drug and it has side effects and risks. And you need to weigh the risks and benefits of taking aspirin. What are the side effects of aspirin? Well, it increases bleeding. It can cause hearing loss over long-term. It can damage the kidney and reduce kidney function. It can also cause ulcers in the stomach. You need to weigh the risks versus the benefits of taking this medication to prevent a heart attack. For example, if you are a low risk patient, you have no risk factors. And your chances of having a heart attack are low.

I would say it’s not advisable to be on aspirin. However, if you are a high-risk patient who has diabetes, a history of smoking, a family history of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, you might be a better candidate at taking aspirin against the risks it poses. It’s very important to do a risk factor assessment, do some calculations, collect data and discuss with your cardiologist if aspirin is right for you. Remember not every patient needs to be on aspirin. Some patients can be on aspirin every day. Some patients can take it once a week. You have to weigh the risks and benefits. This is a discussion to have with your cardiologist.”