Advice shifting on aspirin use for preventing heart attacks: panel

Low-dose aspirin should no longer be initially prescribed to try to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, a panel from an influential health guidelines group said in preliminary updated advice on Tuesday.

Notably, the panel also said that there could be a small benefit for adults in their 40s who have no bleeding risks. The evidence of benefits for people in their 50s, the group added, is less clear. Comparatively, the Task Force's 2016 recommendation essentially said that all high-risk individuals in their 50s take aspirin. This year, the group's recommendation states that people aged 40 to 59 years old should have a conversation with their clinician to see if they are at higher risk for developing heart disease or stroke and, if so, whether taking aspirin is right for them.

"Daily aspirin use may help prevent heart attacks and strokes in some people, but it can also cause potentially serious harms, such as internal bleeding," Task Force member Dr. John Wong said in a release. "It’s important that people who are 40 to 59 years old and don’t have a history of heart disease have a conversation with their clinician to decide together if starting to take aspirin is right for them."