Statement from Elizabeth
G. Nabel, M.D., Director of the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of
Health on the Findings of the Women’s Health
Study
The Women’s Health Study is the first large clinical
trial to study the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent
heart attack and stroke in women. The 10-year randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted
among nearly 40,000 healthy women age 45 and older.
Although studies have shown that low-dose aspirin
reduces the risk of a first heart attack in men, there
have been few such studies in women. The study was
supported by the National Institutes of Health’s
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the
National Cancer Institute.
The Women’s Health Study found that aspirin did
not prevent first heart attacks or death from cardiovascular
causes in women. Low-dose aspirin (100 mg on alternate
days) lowered the incidence of a first major cardiovascular
event (nonfatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke, or
death from cardiovascular causes) by 9 percent. This
was not statistically significant. Stroke was 17 percent
lower in the aspirin group, a statistically significant
difference. The findings of the study will be presented
at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC)
annual meeting in Orlando, FL and also published online
in The New England Journal of Medicine March
7, 2005 and in print in the March 31 issue.
The greatest benefit appeared to be in women 65 and
older. In this sub-group, low-dose aspirin reduced
the risk of major cardiovascular events by 26 percent.
However, the benefits of low-dose aspirin therapy
must be weighed against the risk of an increased chance
of internal bleeding, a well-known side effect of
aspirin use.
The bottom line is that many women, especially those
65 and older, may benefit from taking low-dose aspirin
every other day to prevent stroke. But it is important
for women to weigh the risk and benefits of taking
aspirin and to consult with their doctor. Above all,
women, like men, should adopt the well-proven approaches
that reduce the risk of heart disease – eating
for heart health, getting regular physical activity,
maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and controlling
high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
The Women’s Health Study also assessed the benefits
of vitamin E supplementation (600 IU every other day).
These findings, also presented at ACC, indicate there
was no evidence of cardiovascular benefit or increased
risk from taking a vitamin E supplement. Analyses
of the effect of vitamin E and aspirin on cancer are
under way.
NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), the Federal Government's primary agency for
biomedical and behavioral research. NIH is a component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Additional information about women and heart disease
is available at the NHLBI website,(www.nhlbi.nih.gov).
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