Experts suggest that having even a slightly elevated risk of heart attack may merit preventive aspirin therapy.

We already know that aspirin decreases the risk of heart attacks in those who have already had one, or who have had a stroke. But now the US Preventive Services Task Force suggests that even those with whose risk is only slightly raised could benefit from aspirin.

Doctors should discuss the risks and benefits of aspirin with a wide group of people - those with risk factors such as high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes. Men over 40 and postmenopausal women should be assessed for risk, they suggest. Recent research suggests that those whose heart attack risk is raised three per cent of more above average can benefit from aspirin.

But it's not a case of prescribing aspirin for everyone - and you shouldn't start it without medical advice. Aspirin is a powerful therapy, which can also have some serious side effects. For those at low risk of heart disease, aspirin is a risk not worth taking. To ensure that the benefits of aspirin become more widely available, it's essential that doctors - or patients - raise the issue and decide on the best way forward for the individual.

Source

Annals of Internal Medicine January 15 2002