A comprehensive analysis of 287 clinical trials involving more than 200,000 patients has shown unequivocally that aspirin protects patients at high risk of serious vascular events such as heart attack or stroke.

Analysts quantified these benefits of aspirin or other antiplatelet drugs (blood thinners):

• reduced the risk of any serious vascular event by about one-quarter
• reduced the risk of non-fatal heart attack by one-third
• reduced non-fatal stroke by one-quarter
• reduced vascular deaths by one-sixth

They found that low-dose aspirin (75 - 150 mg daily) seemed to work as well as higher doses for long-term use. Based on such evidence, the authors of the study, which appeared in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal, recommend that aspirin should be used routinely for all patients at risk for cardiovascular events.

Related information: Treatment - Medications | High cholesterol and its consequences

Source:  Antithrombotic Trialists' Collaboration. Collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials of antiplatelet therapy for prevention of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in high risk patients. British Medical Journal, Jan. 12, 2002;324:71.