CARDIOLOGISTS in Cyprus are still giving heart patients and those at risk of strokes a low dosage of aspirin every day, despite a recent British study suggesting it might do more harm than good.
The research, involving more than 5,000 men at 108 general practices around the UK, suggests that a daily low dose of aspirin is unlikely to help men with high blood pressure, those most venerable to heart disease and stroke.
In fact, because aspirin thins the blood, it could increase the likelihood of serious bleeding in this group.
But US-trained cardiologist Dr. Christos Christou, from the American Heart Institute in Nicosia, yesterday cautioned, "one report is not enough to make a new recommendation."
Although he had not seen the study, he assured the Cyprus Mail that cardiologists throughout the western medical establishment advised a daily dosage of aspirin for patients suffering from heart disease or angina, and those who have suffered at least one previous heart attack or run a high risk of thrombo-embolic stroke.
The general consensus among cardiologists, based on practice and research, is that aspirin’s effect of thinning the blood is greatly beneficial to these groups as a preventive measure to prevent further problems.
According to Christou, this is still the rule of thumb in his field.
"As long as there is no contraindication to aspirin, people with coronary disease should take it and people who have had a previous heart attack."
Patients who should not take aspirin are those who suffer from bleeding disorders, including haemorrhagic strokes, have peptic ulcers or take conflicting medication.
But for the meantime, Christou advises, "aspirin is still the best drug until another one is found."
The findings of the controversial study, published in the British Medical Journal, indicate that the greatest protective effect was for men with low, rather than high blood pressure. However, even here it was not clear whether the benefit outweighed the potential hazards.
The results showed that men with blood pressure of more than 145mm of mercury derived little or no heart-protective effect from aspirin.
But daily aspirin intake does expose them to "troublesome and occasionally serious non-cerebral bleeding, even with 75mg of aspirin."
A case-control study in five UK centres found that the risk of peptic ulcer bleeding more than doubled among regular users of aspirin.
For those with lower blood pressures, it may be that four of five heart attacks could be avoided by treating 1,000 men for a year. But the risk of serious bleeding would also have to be taken into account.
Recent guidelines from the British Hypertension Society state that aspirin should be considered for patients aged 50 and older with a systolic blood pressure higher than 150mm of mercury.
