Daily HealthBeat Tip

Does aspirin help women?

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Low-dose aspirin, taken regularly, cuts the risk of a heart attack. Aspirin makes it harder for blood cells called platelets to form clots that can block arteries which feed the heart.

At least, that was shown in men. But a major study found recently that, while aspirin reduced stroke risk in women, it did not reduce heart attack risk.

So what about women?

Researcher Diane Becker of Johns Hopkins looked at whether aspirin worked the same way in women. Her study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"It is not because aspirin doesn't do its job. Aspirin does suppress platelets, and it should suppress clot formation." (seven seconds)

Becker suspects women may need higher doses to reduce their heart risk. She says women should keep taking aspirin.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: June 8, 2006

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