Aspirin use was tied to a 26% higher risk of heart failure in at-risk adults, according to a large study.
Aspirin use is associated with a 26% raised risk of heart failure in people with at least one predisposing factor for the condition. That’s the finding of a study published today (November 22, 2021) in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Predisposing factors included smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
“This is the first study to report that among individuals with a least one risk factor for heart failure, those taking aspirin were more likely to subsequently develop the condition than those not using the medication,” said study author Dr. Blerim Mujaj of the University of Freiburg, Germany. “While the findings require confirmation, they do indicate that the potential link between aspirin and heart failure needs to be clarified.”
The influence of aspirin on heart failure is controversial. This study aimed to evaluate its relationship with heart failure incidence in people with and without heart disease and assess whether using the drug is related to a new heart failure diagnosis in those at risk.
The analysis included 30,827 individuals at risk for developing heart failure who were enrolled from Western Europe and the US into the HOMAGE study. “At risk” was defined as one or more of the following: smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Participants were aged 40 years and above and free of heart failure at baseline. Aspirin use was recorded at enrolment and participants were classified as users or non-users. Participants were followed up for the first incidence of fatal or non-fatal heart failure requiring hospitalization.
The average age of participants was 67 years and 34% were women. At baseline, a total of 7,698 participants (25%) were taking aspirin. During the 5.3-year follow-up, 1,330 participants developed heart failure.
The investigators assessed the association between aspirin use and incident heart failure after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, blood pressure, heart rate, blood cholesterol, creatinine, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, beta-blockers, and lipid-lowering drugs. Taking aspirin was independently associated with a 26% raised risk of a new heart failure diagnosis.
To check the consistency of the results, the researchers repeated the analysis after matching aspirin users and non-users for heart failure risk factors. In this matched analysis, aspirin was associated with a 26% raised risk of a new heart failure diagnosis. To check the results further, the analysis was repeated after excluding patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. In 22,690 participants (74%) free of cardiovascular disease, aspirin use was associated with a 27% increased risk of incident heart failure.
Key Takeaways from the Research
Dr. Mujaj said: “This was the first large study to investigate the relationship between aspirin use and incident heart failure in individuals with and without heart disease and at least one risk factor. Aspirin is commonly used – in our study one in four participants were taking the medication. In this population, aspirin use was associated with incident heart failure, independent of other risk factors.”
He concluded: “Large multinational randomized trials in adults at risk for heart failure are needed to verify these results. Until then, our observations suggest that aspirin should be prescribed with caution in those with heart failure or with risk factors for the condition.”
Reference: “Aspirin use is associated with increased risk for incident heart failure: a patient-level pooled-analysis” by Blerim Mujaj, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Wen-Yi Yang, Lutgarde Thijs, Fang-Fei Wei, Peter Verhamme, Christian Delles, Javed Butler, Peter Sever, Roberto Latini, John GF Cleland, Faiez Zannad, Jan A. Staessen and Heart Omics in Ageing Investigators, 22 November 2021, ESC Heart Failure.
DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.13688
Funding: The European Union (HEALTH-F7-305507 HOMAGE), the European Research Council (Advanced Researcher Grant 2011-294713-EPLORE, the European Research Council Proof-of-Concept Grant 713601-uPROPHET), and the European Research Area Net for Cardiovascular Diseases (JTC2017-046-PROACT) supported the Research Unit Hypertension and Cardiovascular Research. The Non-Profit Association Alliance for the Promotion of Preventive Medicine (APPREMED; URL, http://www.appremed.org), Mechelen, Belgium, received a nonbinding grant from OMRON Healthcare, Co, Ltd, Kyoto, Japan. The sponsors had no role in the preparation of this report.
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54 Comments
I’m sorry but this is not very informative. How much aspirin, and how often? Come on science writers, add the details that help make the point…I’m getting weary of amateur science news.
John Elmer’s comment makes a VERY good point. In addition, why are they taking aspirin?
If they have immune system problems and are taking large doses for use as an inflammation control the NSAID application may indeed produce some serious side effects.
Were the participants also asked if they were vaccinated with any of the Covid vaccines? The “elephant in the room”, is a huge surge of heart related issues, after vaccination…to all ages, even those without those underlying conditions, mentioned in the study, which are the top underlying comorbidities for risk of Covid illness.
For the last 70 years doctors have been recommending people with heart problems to take aspirin.
Maybe that has something to do with it?
Like looking at people taking cholesterol medication then saying. All those guys have cholesterol problems. Must be the cholesterol medication is causing cholesterol problems.
The article here is basically reprinting the ESC press report. You can download the full study report for yourself free by searching the document number:
doi:10.1002/ehf2.13688
This study is HIGH FLAWED!! People aged 67+ as noted are usually on multiple meds.
Based on pt. history, they may be at risk of HF regardless of ASA intake.
I wish the complete research study was available for review prior to publication.
I have the same question John. Is it 81mg, is it 325mg, is it one dose a day, is it multiple doses, is the aspirin coated for slower release or uncoated? Sometimes when I read articles on any subject on the internet I think they are written by someone with a grade school education or someone with fake or even no credentials.
I agree…more details are needed. Does this include those who are prescribed a low dose aspirin to help with heart conditions? I thought a heart issue is why doctors prescribe it. A physician prescribes it for two of my family members.
I was recommended to take one St.Joseph 81mg daily, Its approved and then you guys come 10 or 15 years later saying thats the proble???? Wow what a setup!!!! I don’t trust nothing coming from American researchers or FDA now.
Getting so tired of these studies that say something is bad after they say it is good. Baby aspirin and aspirin were given to help prevent heart attacks and keep your blood thin but now we’re going to get a heart attack from it? Doctors don’t know a thing. Just start doing natural stuff and quit pumping as with all your garbage prescriptions.
Why did the dr.give me 4 baby aspirin when I was having my heart attack then put me on a 1 a day regimen if it’s bad fir my heart??? Who do I believe??
Liars!
Dick Rineer I’m 80 a life long smoker . Been taking 1 81mg Aspirin daily for moderate high blood pressure for 25 years. Some mild COPD. My Dr bugs me to quit and I tell him I don’t plan to die healthy. Which he has no answer. NUF SAID!!
Hahahaha anything you guys can do to cover up the fact that its the covid jab that is causing a massive amount of heart failure. Last week it was cannabis this week.its aspirin. 100 bucks says dozens of of different things will be causing heart failure all except the number one reason wich is the covid jab. You human Lab rat’s are need to wake up.
This whole aspirin discussion is getting ridiculous. Recently we were told that ONLY patients with history of cardiac problems should take the low dose aspirin. They used to advise low dose aspirin for ANYONE with a family history of cardiac disease…that has been stopped….them people with stroke possibilities were told to use a daily low dose aspirin…is that still a thing?
It’s confusing and this article tells us nothing concrete.
Correlation is not causation! People taking aspirin may be taking it to relieve one or more symptoms of an underlying undiagnosed heart condition, to begin with! This is a troll headline grabber paper and news article!
Lots of experts here commenting.
Not alot of humility.
I’m sure everyone commenting has a PhD in statistics, PhD in biology, phd in chemistry and 20 years experience in the field of research.
Dont get me wrong!
Everyone can have an opinion.
But most opinions deserve nothing more than a yawn as a response.
Yawn…
There was a study. It was for science reasons. The study and results are unclear. No one would have read it or come to this site without the CLICK BAIT headline. Even reliable news sources are having to resort to these tactics and write articles that are agenda driven.
Aspirin the wonder drug always being attacked. It works so well for so many people, but big pharma can’t make any money on aspirin.
Ah yes, no coincidence that a new study about Aspirin increasing heart failure pops up as heart failure incidences increase all over the planet…because of the “vaccines”. Also read that marijuana is somehow causing teenagers to have heart attacks. Do they really think we’re this stupid?
Why, did the cdc say this?? I wouldn’t trust what people say unless I do the research.
Given the blood clotting associated with the Covid 19/SARS2 spike protein, following the old Doctor’s advice of taking two aspirin would have saved countless lives. The anti-parasitics Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin would have saved more.
Idk. I can see this being true in individuals who are on statins & antihypertensives.
Statins suppress the vascular Systems ability to heal micro tears in blood vessels using cholesterol AND antihypertensives also compromise vascular health if a dose or two is missed, causing rebound hypertension.
I can see hemorrhagic strokes occuring. But heart failure I’m very curious about
Soooo, the baby aspirin is not enough to hurt you? Do we now stop taking it? How much is too much. Stupid article
Its all about killing us, not caring for our health. Geez. Maybe were all better off with natural solutions instead of these wishy washy health advisors….
As a person who has suffered from three strokes, aspirin has kept mdd we from being a quadriplegic moron. I even saw my mother survive a massive stroke. I say bs to this report. Read the original report on the performance of one aspirin pee data.
I do not believe this for one minute. Aspirin is a blood thinner. This is just more population control propaganda to cause more heart attacks. Aspirin comes from trees. Don’t stop taking your aspirin
Seriously? A few days after Israel releases a study saying Aspirin reduced your chances of having serious issues or death from Covid, by 46%! Now we get a study telling us not to take it.
Are you guys trying to kill people?
This report is so useless with no information as to dosage, frequency, reasons for taking it in the first place. Was it for the occasional headache? To reduce pain?
The timing of this article, shortly after reports from Israel about the benefits to covid patients taking low dose aspirin, is suspicious to me. I suspect Dr Fearci is involved somehow.
Cover up continuing
I remember way back when they used to tell folks that a baby aspirin or half a full tablet was GOOD for your heart. Maybe they are factoring in the genetic experiment in their research now…
Stop the lies. . during this covid aspirin has been helping people with their heart, now you brainwash people telling them its not good. Satan
This is in my opinion ( just like weed ) another way to explain away all these heart issues due to the new vac. People are not stupid.
If any illness begins turning up the normal percentage of they occurs, we should thinking about the relation with those experimental vaccines non based in its own virus like those based in RNA!
Funny that aspirin insane has been proven to reduce the chance of second heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin only can under Atchison when it was also shown that people who took it in a regular basis were 3x less likely to be infected with COVID-19. Now, Big Parma wants that sh*t shut down. All kinds of “new” studies saying aspirin is bad. It has been used for hundreds of years as a medication, now its bad. I call bullsh*t on this.
It seems we didn’t learn the lesson, the lesson that talidomida teached us!
All these decades no study appears like this… now with covid vaccines in the majority of humanity this great study to cover for the carnage to come from sudden death from creating clots(emboli). To scare the public to cease and desist the one thing that might save their lives. Truly diabolic. The enemy has covered all the bases
Simply put. The problem is the big pharmaceutical companies manipulate and move fake information around to best fit the promotion and selling of their fake products when sales slump. I will be 67 and I have honestly taken one or two full sized aspirins for more than 41 years and that is the 325 mgs per pill. True I never started smoking ever in my life but done my share of drinking over the years. Funny this article about aspirin is more than flawed it is a lie. Here’s why. This is a miracle drug that the native American Indians have been using for thousands of years and the pharmaceutical companies know that present in every disease is inflammation and aspirin fights that ad it is anti inflammatory fighting. Their just pissed off because they don’t have control over aspirin because if they did could you just imagine the price of a script of aspirin from the pharmacy you would have to pay if they had control of aspirin. This study is full of lies and falsified documentations. It is their damn synthetic drugs they push on people with so so many side effects on people that are killing people. Bottom line money money money. I’m living proof that aspirin does indeed work. I have outlived everyone in my family and that is not just my immediate family. But I also take my aspirin with caution so I don’t have bleeding issues and what I do is eat a little something before I take the aspirin. It coats your stomach ( the food ). So as for in my case I will continue to buy my aspirin right off the store shelves for a couple of bucks and continue my life as free of inflammation. And no I have not and will not get the concoction they call covid 19 vaccine. Guess what covid starts out as an inflammatory virus in the lungs as it is an upper respiratory virus. These people who do these types of studies must have their heads in the ground as they can’t think outside the box. I hate big conglomerate corporations for their manipulating ways. Have a good life not a pharmaceutical life to make them even richer this new study just shows you their sales are slumping and they need to discredit what is causing the slumping sales of course in this case it is aspirin. Avid user and believer in the miracle natural drug aspirin.
This is BS this report study whatever there know it’s called sounds just like government propaganda anything to get us to not use what works just like ivermectren or hydroxychlorine aspirin has been used for hundreds of years way back with the Indians used to use aspirin for their ailments and pains they live long lives and so less thousands of Americans over the years aspirin helps prevent heart attacks I will not believe the lies that are put out about this or colvin for that matter.
You mean the side effects from the jab are and they are looking for cover. Anyone can see the numbers of heart issues are on the rise with the vaccine. Suddenly there are articles coming out about children having heart issues bc of sports. As in exercise is giving kids health problems.
What is the effect of aspirin use on incidence & severity of stroke?
Optimal outcome assessments should consider risks from heart attacks, stroke, and cancer; and then evaluate the overall expediency of aspirin versus potential alternatives.
The reason for the aspirin in the first place is to thin the blood and to prevent blood clots. Which aspirin is safer than warfarin.
It’s journalist writing these stories not the scientist that do the research. Journalist are most profoundly overrated and now days simply feed social media nonsense.
Yup, it’s the covid. No-one died of heart attacks before covid. Vaccines are the work of the devil with some help from the aliens living under the flat earth. You should live in fear, at least until covid kills your stupid ass.
Studies are so contradictory !!
Is anyone laughing their way to the bank ?
No mention of dose or frequency or the
low dose.that was previously recommended.
Com on Man ??
Be nice if you scientists would make up your damn minds. How many people have been taking aspirin for heart problems for YEARS!!!
They are lying…people are having heart attacks/myocarditis ..take aspirin as u normally wpuld in that instance. Please wake up people. Research both sides. You will be suprised. I was a dem for 35 years. Then republican…not i am not on either..jist paying attention to the people that r supposed to work for us…as every ericam should be amd have. Lets take her back the right way.UNITE…QUIT GETTING DISTRACTED. TURN NEWS OFF..ALL THAT IS IS FEAR. LIVE IN LOVE AS OUR SOURCE/GOD TELLS US TO. That doesnt meam believing everything u hear. U know in ir heart when something isnt right. So many have turned thwir intuition off..and that intuition is God. Its inside every one of us…its not external. Theu taught us to seek outside of urself for God…been there all along and always will be…activate. Be blessed
You realize it’s what they take if having heart problems though, right? Even though it’s supposed to be baby aspirin. That is nothing new. It sounds like a waste of study. Already known, but they likely had it before. This is like a my whole life already known. Then when guy goes he’s shocked. It’s really not that information.
Why don’t you work on toy trucks?
….but we are supposed to blindly follow ” science”, without question.
Though taking aspirin prior to my shift as a recovery clerk at my local tj Maxx is really not a healthy idea, it does keep the pain of heel Spurs at bay. So, hey, bring on the cardiac heart failure; hopefully it’ll release me from my Hell on earth dead end job.
You must ask: why were the 7000 people put on aspirin in the first place? Maybe they had angina pectoris or other signs of cardiovascular disease? Stenosis in arteries of legs/ carotid arteries? So coronary arteries probably affected, too? Most probably they went to a doctor as they had warning signs of heart failure or stroke, and this is why they got aspirin. The highest risk factor for stroke is TIA / previous stroke, same with heart attacks or whatever “heart failure” means. I did not read the study, but it seems that the authors thought the increase in heart attack over the last year is not enough yet? Please stay on aspirin after a tia/stroke or angina pectoris. Why was this study not controlled for angina pectoris?
When did this testing start and end? Was this testing on people who had the 2 vaccine shots?