How Does Aspirin Prevent Heart Attacks
You may have noticed that more people are taking aspirin. Aspirin has been linked to heart attacks in a good way. If your doctor has prescribed a low dose of aspirin for you, it could prevent a heart attack.
Aspirin has existed for almost a hundred years. When it was first introduced for aches and pains, the company assured the public that it would not affect the heart. Aspirin was the drug of choice for any pain that ailed you.
Research shows that aspirin works well in people who have had a stroke or heart attack to reduce the risk of another occurrence. It also increases the chances of survival when taken within minutes of the beginning signs of a heart attack. Aspirin also keeps previously blocked arteries of coronary bypass patients open and clear.
How does it actually work? The body produces a substance called “prostaglandins”. Prostaglandins function in platelet aggregation. When platelets stick together in the blood they form clots. This is beneficial if there is an injury to the body. Quick clot formation at the site of injury can keep a person from bleeding to death.
Conversely, if too many prostaglandins are produced, dangerous clots in the blood could cause a stroke or a heart attack depending on which vessel the clot eventually blocks. Aspirin has been found to lower the body’s production of prostaglandins which reduces the formation of clots. The threat of a heart attack is decreased.
The amount of aspirin given is less than the average dose given for pain relief. The daily dose can be anywhere from 75 to 325 milligrams a day. Your doctor will regulate the dose depending on previous heart attacks or just increased risk factors for a future heart attack.
Aspirin is not for everyone. Doctors hesitate to prescribe it for healthy individuals for the same reason it works so well for heart attack patients. Aspirin decreases platelet formation. This could cause excess bleeding in the event of injury. Also taking too much aspirin could produce holes in the lining of the stomach and other digestive problems. As a preventive measure in those who have not had a heart attack, aspirin is not recommended.
Do not take aspirin on your own. Let a doctor diagnose your need and make the decision. You could be doing more harm than good to your health.
Aspirin has been around for a long time, but we are only recently discovering its beneficial effects on the heart. Many hundreds of lives can be saved from life threatening heart attacks each year by taking a little pill each day. If you have had a heart attack, check with your doctor to see if aspirin is right for you.