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Aspirin regimen may prevent blood clots

Patients who go on low-dose daily aspirin appear to be at lower risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots, according to a story in U.S. News and World Report.

The story concerns a study in which researchers combined the results of a small study with those of a similar trial, so that the combined data was large enough to test for trends. The combined study indicated that daily aspirin could prevent recurrent blood clots.

The report says that about a quarter of VTEs develop for no discernible reason, and most patients receive a powerful anti-clotting drug such as warfarin in the months after the clot forms. Warfarin has proven inconvenient for many patients who take it because it requires dietary restrictions and frequent testing.

Some drugs designed to replace warfarin have proven even more problematic. Pradaxa, for example, has been linked to risks of serious internal bleeding and generated 3,781 reports of adverse effects and 542 deaths to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year.

Another problem is that no antidote exists for Pradaxa-related bleeding emergencies. The FDA is now conducting a safety review of Pradaxa.

The study on aspirin was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented recently at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Los Angeles. It included more than 800 people with a VTE of uncertain cause.

You should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns, and before making any changes in medication. You should also consult with a lawyer if you have injuries connected with Pradaxa.

See the story here:

https://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/11/05/daily-aspirin-may-help-those-at-risk-for-recurrent-blood-clots