CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 7 (UPI) -- A University of North Carolina study says taking aspirin to prevent coronary heart disease is beneficial for a wider range of men than previously found.
Compared to no treatment, taking aspirin was less costly and more effective for preventing heart attacks and other events in men whose 10-year risk for coronary heart disease is 7.5 percent or greater, the study said.
Prior to the latest study, most experts felt aspirin is beneficial to men with a 10-year risk of heart disease of 10 percent or greater, said UNC Professor of Medicine Dr. Michael Pignone.
"Our analysis suggests that it is also beneficial for men between 5 percent and 10 percent risk," he said.
The study also showed that aspirin is not effective for men whose 10-year risk is below 5 percent, because the chance of adverse effects from bleeding canceled the benefit from prevention of coronary heart disease events.
The study also said adding a statin, or cholesterol-lowering, drug to aspirin therapy becomes cost-effective only when the patient's 10-year risk for coronary heart disease was higher than 10 percent.
The findings appear in the March 7 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
