United States: The recent survey reveals that numerous Americans underestimate the harmful effects of daily low-dose aspirin even though experts have determined this practice carries more risks than benefits.
Study Finds
A study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania revealed that 48% of people believe that the benefits of daily low-dose aspirin usage to decrease heart attack and stroke risks exceed potential risks, as reported by HealthDay.
“Habits backed by conventional wisdom and the past advice of health care providers are hard to break,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the center’s director, said in a news release.
Health information about daily aspirin treatment for individual patients remains essential for making informed decisions regarding their health status according to the healthcare professional.
Healthcare professionals used to recommend low-dose aspirin to elderly individuals who maintained good health status.
Almost Half of Adults Misunderstand the Risks and Benefits of Daily Aspirin Usehttps://t.co/CFgUK7kWPv
— Bioengineer.org (@bioengineerorg) February 3, 2025
Outdated Advice Hard to Shake
As science proved that aspirin functioned as a thinning agent within the bloodstream, it became clear the medication reduced the dangers of artery-clogging blood clots, which might trigger heart attacks or strokes.
The American Heart Association, together with the American College of Cardiology, issued new guidelines in 2019 which ousted their older recommendation for healthy senior aspirin use.
Updated Guidelines Say Daily Aspirin Can Be Risky
Medical experts decided that aspirin consumption as a daily preventive measure does not bring sufficient benefit for the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding among healthy senior citizens above age 70.
“If you’re over 70, taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke could do more harm than good,” the AHA now says on its website.
Medical professionals recommend aspirin medications to patients with heart disease who do not experience elevated bleeding risks.
The poll revealed an updated guideline about aspirin had not managed to dismantle decades of support for daily low-dose aspirin use.
Survey Shows Many Still Taking Daily Aspirin
A total of 19% of U.S. adults without heart disease experience in their families take low-dose aspirin daily. According to survey results:
- 10% say they take it “basically every day.”
- 6% take it “a few times a month.”
- 2% take it “a few times a week.”
The survey revealed younger adults demonstrated better understanding than older adults about aspirin’s weighty risks surpassing its beneficial outcomes.
Younger Adults More Aware of Risks
Among participants without a heart disease background who were 18- to 29 years old, about 29% recognized that aspirin’s risks exceeded its benefits, whereas 11% of those between 40 to 59 years old and 7% of those 60 years or older shared this understanding, according to research findings.
According to investigators the source of this conclusion stems from the limited exposure of young adults to older guidelines advocating for aspirin use, as reported by HealthDay.
The surveyed sample of 1,771 adults gave responses between Nov. 14 to 24 of 2024 while remaining within a margin of error that reaches 3.3 percentage points.