Daily Aspirin Use to Lower Alzheimer's Risk Not for Everyone

Aspirin has been credited with lowering rates of heart attack, stroke, colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but the tablet's status as a wonder drug does not mean it is for everyone.

Dr. Mark Fendrick, a University of Michigan Health System internist, warns that even baby aspirin has dangerous side effects and advises people to discuss whether to take it with their physicians.

"Aspirin is not benign," he said. "Thousands of people die each year in the United States from complications related to taking aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)."

Even in a buffered or coated form, Fendrick said aspirin doubles the likelihood of a perforated ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding. He said the risk of stomach bleeding increases substantially if aspirin is combined with other NSAIDs, including Vioxx and Celebrex, which are safer on the stomach in the absence of aspirin.

Fendrick said patients who must have aspirin should be limited to those with a documented personal or family history of heart disease, such as coronary artery or vascular disease, or those with risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

"The benefits of aspirin for preventing colon cancer, dementia and heart attacks need to be carefully weighed by a medical professional against the potential for serious complications," Fendrick said about those in the probably-should-take-aspirin category.

Those who shouldn't take aspirin on a daily basis, according to Fendrick, have a very low risk of developing the diseases that aspirin is used to prevent.

"For these people, such as your typical twenty-something reader of health magazines, the well-documented risks of aspirin overcome any health benefits that may be achieved," he said.

Other sources: University of Michigan Health System