Taking small doses of aspirin (75 to 100 mg) each day may help reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, but it is not considered safe for everyone. When the risk of adverse consequences of taking a drug may be greater than the potential benefit and is taking aspirin a good choice for you? When taken, aspirin in these doses can play a role in primary prevention, when taken by people who have never had a heart attack or stroke, heart bypass surgery or stent intervention or narrowing or blockage of arteries. The use of aspirin in these cases is still a matter of debate and there are different views on whether it is useful or not. Another application is in the so-called secondary prevention when taken after a heart attack or stroke and in the presence of vascular diseases, when its use is unequivocally useful and recommended. This year, 2022, after 6 years, the United States Preventive Service Task Force issued new recommendations for taking small doses of aspirin. They recommend that, in the case of taking aspirin for primary prevention, it can be taken by people aged 40 to 59 years who have a 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular diseases of 10% or higher. The ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular diseases can be easily calculated and it mostly depends on diet, obesity, physical activity, smoking and alcohol use. At the same time, it is not recommended to take aspirin for people over 60 years of age (except in the case of secondary prevention) due to the increased risk of bleeding [2]. Studies have shown that more than one third of Americans over the age of 40 take daily aspirin, while the percentage of people over the age of 70 is as high as 45% [3]. However, before deciding whether or not to take aspirin, you should consult your doctor.
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