Lower doses of long term aspirin do not reduce risk of gastrointestinal bleeding

Aspirin is used worldwide for preventing cardiovascular disease, and low doses such as 75 mg a day are widely believed to be relatively safe. A meta-analysis by Derry and Loke (p 1183), which included almost 66 000 patients, confirms that aspirin is associated with a significant risk of gastrointestinal bleeding but finds that lower doses do not reduce this risk. Patients and doctors must carefully consider both benefit and risk before starting aspirin therapy, particularly in primary prevention, where the potential benefit may be small.


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Relevant Article

Risk of gastrointestinal haemorrhage with long term use of aspirin: meta-analysis
Sheena Derry and Yoon Kong Loke
BMJ 2000 321: 1183-1187. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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