Use Of Aspirin For Primary Prevention Research Articles

Guideline concordance of aspirin use for primary prevention in adult outpatients

AbstractRecent guidelines have recommended a reduced role for primary prevention aspirin use, which is associated with an increased bleeding risk. This study aimed to characterize guideline-discordant aspirin use among adults in a community care setting. As part of a quality improvement initiative, patients at 1 internal medicine and 1 family medicine clinic affiliated with an academic hospital were sent an electronic survey. Patients were included if they were at least 40 years old, had a primary care provider at the specified site, and were seen in the last year. Patients were excluded if they had an indication for aspirin other than primary prevention. Responses were collected from 15 February to 16 March 2022. Analyses were performed to identify predictors of primary prevention aspirin use and predictors of guideline-discordant aspirin use; aspirin users and nonusers were compared using Fisher exact test, independent samples t tests, and multivariable logistic regression. Of the 1460 patients sent a survey, 668 (45.8%) responded. Of the respondents, 132 (24.1%) reported aspirin use that was confirmed to be for primary prevention. Overall, 46.2% to 58.3% of primary prevention aspirin users were potentially taking aspirin, contrary to the guideline recommendations. Predictors of discordant aspirin use included a history of diabetes mellitus and medication initiation by a primary care provider. In conclusion, primary prevention aspirin use may be overutilized and discordant with recent guideline recommendations for approximately half of the patients, suggesting a need for aspirin deimplementation. These efforts may be best focused at the primary care level.

Statin and aspirin use in primary prevention: Are we on the right road?

Statin and aspirin use in primary prevention: Are we on the right road?

Aspirin in Primary Prevention: Looking for Those Who Enjoy It.

Based on a wealth of evidence, aspirin is one of the cornerstones of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, despite several studies showing efficacy also in primary prevention, an unopposed excess risk of bleeding leading to a very thin safety margin is evident in subjects without a clear acute cardiovascular event. Overall, the variability in recommendations from different scientific societies for aspirin use in primary prevention is a classic example of failure of simple risk stratification models based on competing risks (atherothrombosis vs. bleeding), perceived to be opposed but intertwined at the pathophysiological level. Notably, cardiovascular risk is dynamic in nature and cannot be accurately captured by scores, which do not always consider risk enhancers. Furthermore, the widespread use of other potent medications in primary prevention, such as lipid-lowering and anti-hypertensive drugs, might be reducing the benefit of aspirin in recent trials. Some authors, drawing from specific pathophysiological data, have suggested that specific subgroups might benefit more from aspirin. This includes patients with diabetes and those with obesity; sex-based differences are considered as well. Moreover, molecular analysis of platelet reactivity has been proposed. A beneficial effect of aspirin has also been demonstrated for the prevention of cancer, especially colorectal. This review explores evidence and controversies concerning the use of aspirin in primary prevention, considering new perspectives in order to provide a comprehensive individualized approach.

Efficacy of Aspirin for primary prevention among adults with high-risk type 2 diabetes in the ACCORD trial.

To assess the efficacy of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with incident atherosclerotic CVD and mortality in high-risk type 2 diabetes. In this post hoc analysis, we included participants in the ACCORD trial without CVD at baseline. The association between aspirin use and the primary outcome (a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke or cardiovascular [CV] death) and all-cause mortality was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusting for demographics, CV risk factors and comorbidities. Eligible participants (n = 6330) were aged 62.8 ± 5.9 years at baseline, 43.8% of the participants were female, and 3026 (47.8%) used aspirin. Over a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 4.9 (4.1-5.7) years, the number (%) of primary outcome and all-cause mortality events in those who used aspirin (vs. those who did not), was 196 (6.5) versus 229 (6.9) and 146 (4.8) versus 147 (4.5), respectively. The adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) associated with aspirin use for the primary outcome and all-cause mortality were 0.94 (0.77-1.14) and 1.08 (0.85-1.36), respectively. In high-risk individuals with type 2 diabetes, the use of aspirin for primary prevention was not associated with a decreased risk of incident CVD or all-cause mortality.

Aspirin use for primary prevention among US adults with and without elevated Lipoprotein(a)

ObjectiveLipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an atherogenic and prothrombotic lipoprotein associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We assessed the association between regular aspirin use and ASCVD mortality among individuals with versus without elevated Lp(a) in a nationally representative US cohort. MethodsEligible participants were aged 40–70 years without clinical ASCVD, reported on aspirin use, and had Lp(a) measurements from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994), the only cycle of this nationally representative US cohort to measure Lp(a). Regular aspirin use was defined as taking aspirin ≥30 times in the previous month. Using NHANES III linked mortality records and weighted Cox proportional hazards regression, the association between regular aspirin use and ASCVD mortality was observed in those with and without elevated Lp(a) (≥50 versus <50 mg/dL) over a median 26-year follow-up. ResultsAmong 2,990 persons meeting inclusion criteria (∼73 million US adults), the mean age was 50 years, 86% were non-Hispanic White, 9% were non-Hispanic Black, 53% were female, and 7% reported regular aspirin use. The median Lp(a) was 14 mg/dL and the proportion with elevated Lp(a) was similar among those with versus without regular aspirin use (15.1% versus 21.9%, p = 0.16). Among individuals with elevated Lp(a), the incidence of ASCVD mortality per 1,000 person-years was lower for those with versus without regular aspirin use (1.2, 95% CI: 0.1–2.3 versus 3.9, 95% CI: 2.8–4.9). In multivariable modeling, regular aspirin use was associated with a 52% lower risk of ASCVD mortality among individuals with elevated Lp(a) (HR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.28–0.83), but not for those without elevated Lp(a) (HR=1.01, 95% CI: 0.81–1.25; p-interaction=0.001). ConclusionRegular aspirin use was associated with significantly lower ASCVD mortality in adults without clinical ASCVD who had elevated Lp(a). These findings may have clinical and public health implications for aspirin utilization in primary prevention.

Abstract 15944: Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention in High-Risk Patients: Insights From a Large Healthcare Network

Background: Recently, the value of routine use of aspirin in primary prevention for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has come into question. We investigated patients with a high 10-year ASCVD risk profile to evaluate the magnitude of protection afforded by aspirin with and without statin in prevention of ASCVD events. Methods: Primary prevention patients were stratified based on 10-year ASCVD risk (High [20%]). Aspirin use was categorized over the 6-year follow-up period as “None”, “seldom” (&lt;30% of follow up time), “sometimes” (&gt;30 to =&lt;70%), and often used (≥70% of the time). Cox regression models were used to assess HRs of MI, ischemic stroke and mortality with aspirin or statin use alone compared to a combination of aspirin and statin. Results: 69,955 patients qualified as “high” 10-year ASCVD risk. In fully adjusted models, aspirin use ≥ 30% was associated with significantly lower risk of MI [HR ASA use ≥ 70% 0.76 (0.72-0.80), p &lt;0.001], ischemic stroke [HR ASA use ≥ 70% 0.83 (0.77-0.90), p &lt;0.007], and mortality [HR ASA use ≥ 70% 0.78 (0.74-0.82), p &lt;0.001] in high-risk patients compared to no aspirin use ( Table ). Compared to patients on both a statin and aspirin, patients on statin alone had increased risk of MI [HR 1.30 (1.06-1.60), p = 0.013]. Patients on aspirin alone had increased risk of MI [HR 1.74 (1.34-2.26), p &lt;0.001] and mortality [HR 1.70 (1.27-2.28), p &lt; 0.0004] versus those on aspirin and statin. Patients not on any aspirin or statin were at significantly increased risk for MI [HR 2.28 (2.08-2.49), p&lt;0.001], ischemic stroke [HR 1.77 (1.56-2.00), p&lt;0.001), and mortality [HR 2.16 (1.60-2.90), p&lt;0.001] compared to those taking both aspirin and statin. Conclusions: Low dose aspirin may still have a role in primary prevention of ASCVD events amongst high-risk patients when added to statin therapy. Risk-benefit profile of each high-risk primary prevention patient should be assessed for initiating or discontinuing low dose aspirin therapy

Identifying and reducing inappropriate aspirin use in primary care

ObjectiveRecent studies have called into question the safety of aspirin use for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, particularly in older adults. Therefore, the objectives of this study were...

Association of low-dose aspirin use for primary prevention with self-reported kidney stones prevalence: a cross-sectional study.

To investigate the association between low-dose aspirin use for primary prevention and self-reported kidney stones prevalence in the 40-79years old population. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the United States population data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018. Baseline demographical and clinical data were collected. The univariate and multivariate regression was performed to identify confounding factors and assess the relationship between aspirin use for primary prevention and the prevalence of self-reported kidney stones. A propensity-score matching was used to identify patients with similar baseline characteristics to adjust for the bias caused by confounding factors. A total of 10,256 low-dose aspirin-use participants were included in this study. 10.4% of participants reported a history of kidney stones, and 18.5% reported a continuous use of low-dose prophylactic aspirin. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low-dose preventive aspirin use had significantly increased the odds of self-reported kidney stones (OR = 1.245; 95% CI: 1.063-1.459; p = 0.007). In subgroup analysis, this finding was primarily limited to males (OR = 1.311), non-hypertensive participants (OR = 1.443), diabetic participants (OR = 1.380), and older (60 ≤ Age < 80) (OR = 1.349). The propensity-score matched analyses supported this result after adjusting for the bias caused by potential confounders (OR = 1.216; 95% CI: 1.011-1.462; p = 0.038). In this study, there exists a significant relationship between low-dose aspirin for primary prevention and self-reported kidney stones, primarily among males, no hypertensive participants, diabetics, or older adults. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these findings in the future.

Accuracy of Electronic Health Record–Documented Aspirin for Primary Prevention in Adult Outpatients

This quality improvement study examines the accuracy of electronic health record (EHR) documentation of aspirin use for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in adult outpatients.

WITHDRAWN: Adherence to European guidelines for the use of aspirin in primary health care

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, 10.1016/j.repc.2022.03.007. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal

Adherence to European guidelines for the use of aspirin in primary health care

Introduction and objectivesCardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. The administration of low doses of aspirin in secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has been clearly established. However, the most recent guidelines do not recommend aspirin in primary prevention, reserving it for high-risk patients and after a risk/benefit assessment. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to European guidelines for the use of aspirin in primary and secondary prevention of ASCVD in primary health care. MethodsThe study population consisted of individuals aged >50 years registered at two primary health care units without (primary prevention) and with previous ASCVD events (secondary prevention). ResultsWe studied a total of 1262 individuals, 720 in primary prevention and 542 in secondary prevention. A total of 61 individuals (8.5%) were under aspirin therapy in primary prevention, most of them taking 150 mg/day (57%). In secondary prevention, 195 patients (27%) were receiving aspirin only, most taking 150 mg/day (52%), and 166 patients (31%) were not under any antithrombotic or anticoagulant therapy. The 100 mg dosage was predominant in patients with ischemic heart disease with (64%) and without (64%) angina, as well as those with myocardial infarction (61.5%) and peripheral vascular disease (62%). ConclusionsIn this study, the prevalence of aspirin use in primary prevention was 8.5%. We found that 30% of patients were not taking either antithrombotic or anticoagulation therapy in secondary prevention. In both primary and secondary prevention, the 150 mg dosage was predominant.

Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women.

Aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is controversial. Low-dose aspirin may be considered for primary prevention in women on an individualized basis for those aged 40 to 59 years with a 10-year cardiovascular risk of 10% or more and without increased bleeding risk. Low-dose aspirin for primary prevention is not advised for low-risk women or women aged 60 years or older.

Effect of aspirin on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular and bleeding events. Data regarding the effectiveness and risks of aspirin therapy for primary prevention in the high-risk group of patients with chronic kidney disease are scant and controversial. This retrospective study included patients with chronic kidney disease. Participants were divided according to aspirin use. Outcomes included non-fatal cardiovascular events, major bleeding events and all-cause mortality. Among 10,303 patients, 2169 met the inclusion criteria and 1818 were included after 1:1 propensity-score matching. Our final cohort included patients with mean age of 73.4 ± 11.6 years, estimated glomerular filtration rate of 31.5 ± 10.5 ml/min/1.73m2 with follow up of 4.9 ± 1.5 years. There were no significant differences in all-cause mortality and bleeding events (odds ratio = 1.03, confidence interval [0.62, 1.84], p = .58 and odds ratio = 1.09, confidence interval [0.65, 1.72], p = .87 respectively). The incidence of cardiovascular events was higher in aspirin users versus non-users on univariate analysis (p < 0.01) and was comparable after controlling for possible risk-factors (OR = 1.05, CI [0.61, 3.14], p = .85). Chronic aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease was not associated with lower mortality, cardiovascular events or increased bleeding among patients with chronic kidney disease. Those results were unexpected and should prompt further research in this field.

Prevalence and factors associated with aspirin prescribing for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among patients with type 2 diabetes

Background and Aims : Cardiovascular disease is a major complication among diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) patients, and guidelines recommend aspirin to prevent cardiovascular complications in DMT2 patients. However, it remains unclear and controversial as aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and investigate the factors associated with aspirin use among patients with DMT2.

Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention of HCC: Friend or Foe?

Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention of HCC: Friend or Foe?

Association of a Community Population and Clinic Education Intervention Program With Guideline-Based Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Low-dose aspirin is used for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in approximately one-third of the US adult population. Overuse and underuse are common and not concordant with guidelines. To test a community and clinic education intervention to improve guideline-based aspirin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The Ask About Aspirin project was a nonrandomized controlled trial conducted from, July 1, 2015, to March 31, 2020, using professional education, traditional media, and digital media to improve guideline-based aspirin use. The adult population (aged 45-79 years for men and 55-79 years for women) and primary care clinics in Minnesota were the education targets. The 4 adjacent states were controls. The statewide campaign distributed billboards, newspaper articles and other print material, and radio announcements. An Ask About Aspirin website was heavily promoted. Primary care clinics identified appropriate aspirin candidates, and clinicians received continuing education about aspirin. Guideline-based aspirin use by the target population. Cross-sectional random telephone surveys of 8342 men aged 45 to 79 years and women aged 55 to 79 years were conducted at baseline, 2 years, and 4 years after the intervention. Participation was similar between men and women (baseline: 973 [49%] vs 1001 [51%]; year 4: 912 [50%] vs 930 [50%]). Age during the study also was similar (baseline: 64.7 [IQR, 64.4-65.1] years; year 4: 66.2 [IQR, 65.8-66.5] years). A validated questionnaire evaluated aspirin use. The Ask About Aspirin website had more than 1 million visits; 124 primary care clinics with more than 1000 participating clinicians were part of the education program. Small, nonsignificant increases in discussions with clinicians regarding aspirin resulted (baseline: 341 of 1001 [34%]; year 4: 339 of 930 [36%]; P = .27). Overall aspirin use decreased after the release of new US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines in 2016 and 3 aspirin randomized clinical trials in 2018 suggested reduced aspirin use (baseline: 816 of 1974 [41%]; year 4: 629 of 1842 [34%]; P < .001). Decreases were also noted from year 2 to year 4 in appropriate use (year 2: 597 of 1208 [49%]; year 4: 478 of 1191 [40%]; P < .001) and overuse (year 2: 170 of 602 [28%]; year 4: 151 of 651 [23%]; P = .04). There were no significant differences between Minnesota and the control states. In this nonrandomized controlled trial, a multiyear statewide campaign was not associated with increased appropriate aspirin use for cardiovascular disease prevention. Contextual factors during the project, including guideline changes and media controversy following the new trials, undermined study goals. These findings suggest that although education programs using social media for cardiovascular disease prevention can result in millions of hits, the use of this strategy to encourage behavior change is problematic, even with supportive clinical sites. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02607917.

Rationale for Expanding the Use of Low-Dose Aspirin for Primary Cardiovascular Prevention during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased life-expectancy in the United States in 2021, causing over one million deaths especially in elderly persons with medical co-morbidities. While now waning, this epidemic continues to cause more than 500 fatalities per week mostly in individuals over70 years of age who are unvaccinated. Since viral epidemics have been shown to increase mortality due to atherosclerotic coronary heart disease and low-dose aspirin has been shown to reduce first myocardial infarctions by 44%, we recommend consideration of expanding the use of aspirin for primary cardiovascular prevention to reduce the cardiac morbidity and excess mortality associated with COVID-19 infections. Such aspirin use may be seen as especially appropriate for vulnerable elderly persons who qualify for treatment with Paxlovid (ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir) but are currently excluded for such in primary prevention guidelines of subspecialty societies. The rationale for this approach is further supported by recent proof of concept that vaccination, an alternative intervention for primary cardiovascular prevention, reduces the excess mortality associated with COVID-19 infection. Can greater use of aspirin for primary cardiovascular prevention mitigate the excess cardiac mortality associated with COVID-19 as shown with prior viral epidemics 1-3? Recommendations from the 2019 ACC/AHA and 2021 ESC guidelines currently advise limited aspirin use for primary prevention except in persons aged 40 to 59 years with elevated ASCVD risk scores (10-year risk ≥10%) and for those aged 60 to 69 years only with risk ≥20% in the context of no excess risk of bleeding (Figure 1) 4,5. These guidelines have been endorsed by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which acknowledge that low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention setting reduces the risk of major atherosclerotic cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke offset by an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding 7,8. Currently endorsed guidelines specifically recommend against aspirin use in individuals at age 70 and beyond.

Aspirin use in patients with diagnosed diabetes in the United States and China: Nationally representative analysis.

BackgroundThe epidemiological data on the use of aspirin in diabetic patients is very limited. The main purpose of this study is to examine the current status of aspirin use in the United States (US) and China in large representative populations.MethodsData came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and China Hypertension Survey (CHS), two nationally representative cross-sectional studies.ResultsThe percentage of aspirin use was 73.8% in US diabetic patients with ASCVD, and the percentage of aspirin use in diabetic patients with high ASCVD risk was marginally higher in men (p = .052), 54.5% in men and 37.1% in women. The percentages of aspirin use in diabetic patients with intermediate and low ASCVD risk were 55.1% and 35.0%, respectively. In China, the percentage of aspirin use in diabetic patients with ASCVD was 53.5%, and were 14.3%, 9.7%, and 3.2% among diabetic patients with high, intermediate, and low ASCVD risk, respectively.ConclusionsIn summary, the percentage of aspirin use in primary prevention in US diabetic patients in men was higher than in women, and this percentage for primary and secondary prevention in US patients was higher than that in Chinese patients.

Misuse of Aspirin and Associated Factors for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: The value of aspirin for primary prevention continues to be debated. Data showing whether aspirin use for primary prevention adheres to established guidelines in real world practice are sparse.Methods: A total of 13,104 patients without cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were selected from the DYS-lipidemia International Study of China, a national survey of patients with dyslipidemia in 2012. The CVD risk of the participants were calculated using the 10-year risk of Ischemic Cardiovascular Diseases model. The misuse of aspirin for primary prevention was defined as having CVD risk <10% with daily aspirin. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore risk factors associated with aspirin misuse.Results: The proportion of the patients categorized as low, moderate and high risk for CVD were 52.9, 21.6, and 25.4% respectively. The misuse frequency of aspirin was 31.0% (2,147/6,933) in patients with low risk. The misuse of aspirin increased with aging for both men and women. In the multivariate analysis, the independent risk factors associated with aspirin misuse were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, a family history of premature CVD, and elderly age. Level of total cholesterol is negatively associated with aspirin misuse. Patients from low level hospitals are more likely to be taking aspirin inappropriately. Results remained consistent after including 2,837 patients having 10-year risk for CVD between 10 and <20%.Conclusion: The misuse of aspirin for primary prevention is common in patients having CVD risk <10%. There are important opportunities to improve evidence-based aspirin use for the primary prevention of CVD in Chinese patients.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier [NCT01732952].

Primary Prevention of CVD with Aspirin: Benefits vs Risks.

Low-dose aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid [ASA]; 75 to 100 mg/d) is widely used in the prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events based on the results of large-scale studies supporting a benefit. However, questions remain regarding the benefit-risk relationship in certain settings since long-term use of ASA is not devoid of risk. Incontrovertible evidence supports the benefits of ASA treatment, which exceed the risks, in patients who have had a previous CV event (myocardial infarction, stroke, unstable angina, or transient ischemic attack). Nonetheless, the question remains for those patients who have not had a previous event (primary prevention), where the risk of CV events is lower and, consequently, the absolute benefit is also lower than in patients who have a history of a CV event or its equivalent (secondary prevention). Recent evidence from large-scale clinical trials shows that administration of low-dose ASA is associated with a reduced risk of CV events with a corresponding small absolute increase in the risk of major bleeding (eg, gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke). Although the benefit and the risk of low-dose ASA in primary prevention are numerically similar, the clinical consequences of an increased risk of bleeding and a decreased risk of a CV event may not be equivalent. If these data are applied to patients with higher levels of CV outcome risk, more patients may potentially benefit from aspirin use in primary prevention.