Can Aspirin Prolong a Healthy Life?

In an effort to extend the length of a disability-free life for older adults, researchers from Rush University Medical Center are partnering with colleagues from across the United States and Australia in the largest international trial ever sponsored by the National Institute on Aging.

The Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study aims to assess whether aspirin can not only prolong life, but a life free of physical disability and/or dementia for healthy older people.

According to Raj Shah, MD, an assistant professor of family medicine at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center and an ASPREE investigator, "Aspirin is one of the most commonly used medicines in the world. Whether the benefits of taking aspirin to maintain a life free of disability in an older person outweigh the risk of bleeding is a critically important health question to answer."

While it is known that aspirin prevents heart attacks and strokes in people with established heart disease, benefits which clearly outweigh any risks associated with aspirin, the role of aspirin in people without a history of cardiovascular disease is less certain.

To date, very little information is available about the overall effects of aspirin in older adults, because most trials focus on middle-aged people. The ASPREE study, for the first time, will determine whether the potential benefits of low-dose aspirin outweigh the risks specifically for people aged 70 and older.

The ASPREE study will enroll 6,500 healthy individuals aged 70 and older in the United States and another 12,500 in Australia. Approximately 800 of those participants will come from the Chicago metropolitan area. All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to take either a low dose aspirin or a placebo daily for about five years.

Participants will receive initial measurements on specific health markers, as well as functional and cognitive ability, and changes in these will be monitored throughout the study.

"The results from the ASPREE study will help healthy older persons work with their doctors to make more informed decisions about whether aspirin should be used to increase life without disability," states Shah.

Source: Rush University Medical Center