Aspirin taken to thin the blood to prevent strokes ‘can double risk of suffering a heart attack’
By Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail From This Is Money
- Study of 30,000 NHS patients with atrial fibrillation found they were at higher risk if they took aspirin
- Patients were 1.9 times as likely to have an acute heart attack, it found
- Research carried out by Southampton University and Maastricht University
Aspirin taken by thousands of people to thin the blood and ward off strokes could double the risk of heart attacks, experts have warned.
A study of 30,000 NHS patients found those with atrial fibrillation – a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate – were at higher risk if they took aspirin than other drugs.
Researchers from Southampton University and Maastricht University in the Netherlands examined health records of people who were prescribed warfarin, aspirin or a new generation of pills to prevent stroke.
They found patients who took aspirin were 1.9 times as likely to suffer an acute heart attack as those who took warfarin, one of a class of drugs called vitamin K antagonists.
Study leader Dr Leo Stolk, from Maastricht, said: ‘Oral anticoagulant treatment with vitamin K antagonists has been the cornerstone for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation for decades.
‘We identified an … increased risk of [heart attacks] among current and past aspirin users in comparison with VKAs.
‘There also exists doubt about the usefulness of aspirin in atrial fibrillation. In new guidelines aspirin is no longer included.’
The paper, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, found a new class of drugs called direct oral anticoagulants – or DOACs – were also linked to a doubling in heart attack risk.
The study looked at prescription history and heart problems among NHS patients – 15,400 who were users of aspirin, 13,098 of VKAs, 1,266 of DOACs or 382 who took a mixture.
Those taking DOACs were followed for a year while those taking VKAs and aspirin were tracked for three years.
The findings echo guidance issued by NHS watchdog NICE in 2015 which said aspirin does more harm than good for AF patients.
Atrial fibrillation affects up to 900,000 patients in England and causes their hearts to beat very fast and irregularly, greatly increasing the risk of stroke and early death.
But as many as one in seven – up to 120,000 patients – are taking aspirin even though it isn’t very effective and may itself cause a stroke.
The problem has come about because for almost a decade GPs and heart specialists were encouraged to prescribe aspirin, as it was thought the drug helped to thin the blood and prevent the deadly clots that cause strokes.
But recent evidence suggests it may also cause bleeding in the stomach and, in rare cases, bleeds in the brain that actually lead to strokes.
Studies have also shown aspirin is far less effective than other less risky blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin and NOACS, which include rivaroxaban and apixaban.
GPs have been ordered to check patients taking aspirin at least once a year.
IMAGE: A study of 30,000 NHS patients found those with atrial fibrillation – a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate – were at higher risk if they took aspirin than other drugs GETTY
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