Risk in daily aspirin use

LONG-TERM, daily use of aspirin to prevent blood clots in very elderly patients leads to an increased risk of serious or fatal internal bleeding, researchers said yesterday.

Even among people with no history of heart problems or stroke, the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding goes up with age for aspirin users.

Heartburn medication would allow people 75 years and older to keep the preventative benefits of aspirin while avoiding its dangerous side-effects, they reported in the medical journal The Lancet.