Aspirin A Day Keeps Strokes Away?

Still Contradicting Opinions On Effectiveness Of Aspirin

BOSTON, Posted 4:55 p.m. September 2, 1999 -- A new study shows there might be a way to prevent first-time strokes.

CBS 2 News reported researchers think aspirin can do the trick, as long as you don't take too much of it. In a study of 70,000 female nurses, women who took six or fewer aspirin pills per week cut the risk of the most common form of stroke.

"It may take only very low doses of aspirin - as low as one tablet per day or every other day. Even the baby aspirin at 81 milligrams taken every other day seems to have some benefits," author of the study, Dr. Joann Manson of Brigham and Women's Hospital, told CBS 2 News.

According to the television station, women who took 15 or more per week actually increased the risk of another form of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

Previous studies have shown that regular aspirin in people who've already had heart attacks or a stoke can help prevent another attack. But aspirin used in healthy people has been controversial, said CBS 2 News.

That's why Dr. Manson says recommending an aspirin a day for healthy women and men might be premature.

"It is important for patients to discuss with their physicians whether their risk factor would suggest that aspirin might be beneficial in primary prevention," Dr. Manson said.

CBS 2 News reported some doctors already recommend aspirin for healthy patients.

"It lends support to the general concept that we've been recommending of using an aspirin a day for people over 40 as a means of stroke and heart attack prevention," Dr. Keith Sanders said.

CBS 2 News reported more studies would need to be done to clear up the controversy.

Every year, more than 700,000 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke.

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