Aspirin: a wonder drug for our times
It verges on the miraculous that a compound derived from willow should be so beneficial
For the past 30 years, hundreds of thousands of healthy men and women around the world mindful of their future well-being have taken an aspirin a day in anticipation that, like the proverbial apple, it will keep the doctor away – by halving their chance of a heart attack. This seems authoritative enough being based on a comparison of the outcomes of 22,000 doctors in the US, half of whom took a daily aspirin, half of whom did not.
Still, it is only sensible to be cautious about such improbably favourable findings. And indeed, it now transpires, as recently reported in this paper, that an aspirin a day for the otherwise healthy makes zero difference to their chances of a heart attack, risk of dementia, or life expectancy – while exposing those taking it to the hazards of internal bleeding and brain haemorrhage. So, not a good idea.
For all that, the humble aspirin remains the wonder drug of our age, being of greater benefit to mankind than any other – and it is all down to an elusive family of chemicals present in only minuscule quantities known as prostaglandins. These have numerous properties: mobilising the body’s defences, protecting the lining of the stomach, inducing labour, preventing bleeding by inducing the blood platelets to form a clot, and much else besides.
Back in 1971, the late Sir John Vane discovered that aspirin blocks the action of these prostaglandins, so is likely to be of benefit in those illnesses involving one or other of their functions.
Thus, besides its role as an analgesic and lowering the temperature in the feverish, aspirin is of value in all manner of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, promotes the growth of babies in the womb, stops bypass grafts from silting up, alleviates nocturnal polyuria and, for those who have already had a stroke or heart attack, prevents another. It verges on the miraculous, one might think, that a naturally occurring compound originally derived from the leaves of the willow tree should be so beneficial for so many.
Sleep aid for patients
Further to the recent comments on dramatically reducing the risk of cross-infection by the simple expedient of providing an alcohol hand rub at every bedside, it is encouraging to hear of action to minimise the further serious hazard of a hospital stay: noise-induced sleep deprivation.
In a recent survey, patients reported taking longer to get to sleep, frequent nocturnal wakening and being woken early as part of the normal ward routine, with the result that on average they lost nearly two hours’ sleep every night.
This is a serious matter, as sleep deprivation compromises the body’s immune system, thus slowing recovery. And like those hospital-acquired infections, it too can be minimised with a few simple, commonsensical measures, as demonstrated by a two-pronged Noiseless Campaign (less noise, more sleep) at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary over the past couple of years.
From 10.30pm until 7am the following morning, lights are dimmed and the volume on telephones and other equipment is reduced. All patients are issued with a “sleep-well” pack containing an eye mask and different types of ear plugs, along with a nightcap of a herbal or decaffeinated hot drink. This is scarcely rocket science, and one might hope it is not over-optimistic to suppose others might follow suit.
Chattering teeth
This week’s medical query comes courtesy of Mrs M from Berkshire, writing on behalf of her husband who, out of the blue, has developed episodes of teeth chattering during the day and almost invariably when about to drop off. “It keeps him awake, and sometimes he hardly gets any sleep at all,” she writes. He has found that chewing gum alleviates the chattering, but this is scarcely an option at night. Any suggestions, as ever, would be gratefully received.