Stopping aspirin increases stroke risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Patients who stop taking aspirin increase their risk of having another stroke.
The benefit of aspirin to prevent stroke or heart attack is well known. So what would happen if you stopped taking it? Researchers at Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland have carried out the first study into this question and found that discontinuing aspirin is, indeed, risky.

They looked at patients with similar risk factors who had a stroke and were on long-term aspirin therapy. They found that patients who discontinued their aspirin therapy ran a higher risk of stroke. What is more, most of these strokes happened within a few days of stopping the medication.

In two thirds of those who discontinued, the reason was doctor's advice - maybe because the patient was going to have a minor operation. Doctors and patients should be made aware of the small, but significant, increased risk of stroke if they stop their aspirin. Research suggests that many minor surgical procedures can safely be carried out while the patient is still taking low-dose aspirin - so maybe this is the safer approach?

Source
International Stroke Conference 2nd February 2005

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