On the flip side, many patients with cardiovascular disease who
could benefit from the therapy are not taking the drug also
known as acetylsalicylic acid, or ASA, according to the research
from the U of A’s faculty of medicine and dentistry. “We
estimate that approximately four million Canadians over the age
of 50 are probably taking Aspirin for cardiovascular
prevention,” said Olga Szafran, associate director of research
with the U of A’s department of family medicine. “There are
patients on both ends of the spectrum that need to have a
conversation with their family physician because some may
benefit from taking it and others may not, particularly if
they’ve had an adverse event” linked to Aspirin” The U of A
study surveyed 807 rural and urban patients over age 50 at two
Alberta family medicine clinics, one in downtown Edmonton and
the other Peace River. It found about 40 per cent of those
surveyed took Aspirin regularly and the vast majority of them,
87 per cent, took it to prevent cardiovascular problems