BMJ  2005;330 (18 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7505.0-c

Should everyone over 50 take aspirin prophylaxis?

On pages 1440 and 1442, two sides of the argument are presented on whether aspirin should be used for primary prevention of vascular disease in all people over a certain age, and what that age should be. Elwood and colleagues believe that evidence shows that aspirin should be taken from around 50 years of age, but they also argue that the topic should be widely discussed and that the final decision should lie with each individual person. Baigent is not convinced by the available evidence and argues that such practice could result in net harm.

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