1 in 10 Patients Receiving Inappropriate Aspirin Therapy
Many patients without cardiovascular disease (CVD) received aspirin as an inappropriate method for primary prevention, according to a recent study.
In order to examine the frequency of inappropriate aspirin use, researchers evaluated 68,808 patients who received aspirin for primary prevention from 119 different U.S. practices.
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Note: Researchers determined that aspirin use for primary prevention was inappropriate in patients with 10-year CVD risk under 6%.
Overall, the study showed that the frequency of inappropriate aspirin use was 11.6% (7972 participants).
Researchers found that those receiving inappropriate aspirin were, on average, 16 years younger compared to those receiving aspirin appropriately, and women had a higher risk of receiving inappropriate aspirin regimens.
“Among patients without cardiovascular disease and low 10-year CVD risk, the risks of gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic strokes associated with aspirin use outweigh any potential atheroprotective benefit,” said the authors of the study.1
“More than 1 in 10 patients in this national registry were receiving inappropriate aspirin therapy for primary prevention, with significant practice-level variations,” the researchers concluded.
“Our findings suggest that there are important opportunities to improve evidence-based aspirin use for the primary prevention of CVD.”
The complete study is published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
-Michelle Canales
References:
1. Hira RS, Kennedy K, Nambi V, et al. Frequency and practice-level variation in inappropriate aspirin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015 January [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.10.035.