Over-60s warned of risks of regular aspirin

OVER-60S should not regularly take aspirin to help avoid a heart attack, an influential US health body has said.

The risk of internal bleeding from taking aspirin cancels out the benefits of preventing heart disease once people turn 60, according to the US Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of independent experts that partners with official government bodies including the US Food and Drug Administration.

The panel said there may be a small benefit for adults in their 40s who have no bleeding risk. For those in their 50s there is a “closer balance of benefits and harms” than previously thought.

The NHS does not have a blanket policy of prescribing aspirin for reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But doctors do recommend it for some patients as a low-dose. Recent research found a daily cocktail of aspirin, statins and blood pressure pills cuts the risk of having a stroke by half.

A study in Canada, using data from more than 18,000 people with an average age of 63, found those who took all four drugs were 47 per cent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or die from heart disease over a five-year period.

The panel’s latest advice is based on new evidence. The change for over-60s does not apply to those already taking aspirin after a previous heart attack or stroke. These patients should continue with their medication unless instructed otherwise by a doctor.