In 2002, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released recommendations encouraging doctors to consider aspirin therapy for the prevention of a first heart attack in individuals at moderate or high risk. This includes men over 40 and women over 50 with other risk factors for heart attacks.

In the United States alone, the number of heart attacks that could be prevented by aspirin is staggering.

Prevention of First Heart Attacks with Bayer® Aspirin

• Aspirin reduces the risk of a first heart attack by 32%. Aspirin also reduces the combined risk of heart attack, stroke and vascular death by 15% (Eidelman, 2002; abstract presented at AHA Scientific Sessions)
• Aspirin therapy should be considered for patients who have a 10% or greater 10 year risk of a coronary event (AHA, 2002)

Based on the number of men over age 40 and women over age 50 with 2-3 cardiovascular risk factors, conservative estimates suggest that.

Over 35 million people could benefit from the life-saving effects of aspirin (Calculation based on BRFSS and US Census)

Imagine the number of lives that could be saved!

• With widespread aspirin use, thousands of people could potentially avoid the life-threatening experience of a first heart attack this year (ARIC, 1987-94, NHLBI and Eidelman, 2002; abstract presented at AHA Scientific Sessions)

USPSTF Guidelines

US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Urges Clinicians and Patients to Discuss Aspirin Therapy^*:

• US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends that clinicians discuss the benefits and risks of aspirin therapy with otherwise healthy adult patients who are at increased risk of coronary events related to heart disease, primarily heart attacks.
• Recent studies reviewed by the USPSTF, showed that regular use of aspirin reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 28% in persons who had never had a heart attack before but were at increased risk.
• Categories with increased risk included: men over 40, post-menopausal women, younger persons with cardiovascular event risk factors (smoking, diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels)
• The USPSTF, a panel of independent, private sector experts in prevention and primary care, based its conclusion on a report by the Evidence-based Practice Center at RTI (Research Triangle Park, NC) and the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) School of Medicine.

^*USPSTF recommendations include uses of aspirin not yet approved by the FDA.

Click here for complete guidelines.

AHA Primary Prevention Guidelines

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends aspirin use for the primary prevention of heart attack among all appropriate patients whose 10-year risk of coronary heart disease is 10% or higher.^*

• The "AHA Guidelines for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke: 2002 Update" recommend that physicians calculate the risk of cardiovascular events in the next 10 years for people age 40 and older or for anyone who has multiple risk factors.
• The guidelines incorporate new findings and expert opinion that have emerged since the American Heart Association published the recommendations in 1997. They reflect recent data on the degree of risk imposed by specific risk factors and the new efforts to categorize people more specifically according to their number and types of risk factors.
• The AHA guidelines are consistent with the findings of the USPSTF and concur that, although low dose aspirin increases risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke, the benefits of aspirin generally outweigh the potential for side-effects among most moderate to high-risk patients.
• Healthcare professionals are challenged to engage greater numbers of patients at earlier stages of cardiovascular disease.

^*This information concerns uses for aspirin that are not yet approved by the FDA.

Click here for complete guidelines.