Yet more bleeding risk associated with aspirin
Taking aspirin regularly increases your risk of "microbleeds" in the brain by a staggering 70%, according to a new Dutch study. Shocking as the news might be, I actually almost didn't share this new research with you. After all, it's about aspirin, and we've known for a while now about the connection between aspirin and gastrointestinal bleeding. So why write about more risks when that one's big enough as it is? But then I got to the conclusions drawn by the researchers as well as those covering it in the news, and I just couldn't let this one go. But I saw so much rationalizing that I just had to speak up. Despite the connection between these microbleeds and cerebral small-vessel disease (including one related to Alzheimer's disease)…and despite the unanswered questions about the connection between microbleeds and all-out hemorrhage…and the connection between microbleeds and reduced brain function…the attitude is one of maddening nonchalance. All of the old lines are trotted out: "The beneficial effects…typically outweigh any risks of bleeding." "They found an association…that is no proof that the antiplatelet medications are causing the microbleeds." (Still…70% is nothing to sneeze at.) And my favorite: "It's important not to overreact until we are sure of what gives people the best combination of benefit without much risk." This got me to thinking—does anyone in the mainstream even acknowledge the risks associated with so-called "aspirin therapy"? I don't know why I even bothered checking. Because there it is, right on the American Heart Association website—the recommendation for regular aspirin use—with absolutely no mention of the new findings, let alone the risks of gastrointestinal bleeding that we've known about for years now. They say their recommendation is based on "sound evidence from clinical trials." They just conveniently leave out the sound evidence that has me staying as far from aspirin as possible. You know, if you choose to take aspirin for your heart, that's completely up to you. But it only works that way if you've been given the opportunity to weigh the risks and rewards of that choice on your own. And when information about the risks is so blatantly underplayed and often flat out hidden, you're no longer armed to make an informed choice. And that's what gets my blood boiling. Especially when there are alternatives that are just as effective and nowhere NEAR as risky as a daily aspirin. Sources:
"Aspirin and Similar Drugs May Be Associated With Brain Microbleeds in Older Adults." Newswise (www.newswise.com), 4/13/09
"Aspirin Linked to Brain Microbleeds" MedLinePlus (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus), 4/13/09
American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org) | 
