Oct. 30, 1997 DALLAS, Oct. 21 - If more people would take an
aspirin when they experience chest pain or other symptoms of a
severe heart attack, 5,000 to 10,000 lives could be saved in the
United States each year, according to an American Heart
Association scientific statement published today in the
association's journal Circulation. "There is clear and
conclusive evidence of the benefits of aspirin," says Charles
Hennekens, M.D., one of three internationally recognized medical
leaders on heart disease and stroke who authored the statement
titled, "Aspirin as a Therapeutic Agent in Cardiovascular
Disease." "It doesn't matter what brand, just as long as aspirin
is used," says Hennekens, chief of preventive medicine at
Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at
Harvard Medical School. Individuals undergoing a heart attack
should take a full tablet (325 milligrams) of aspirin to obtain
a "rapid clinical effect," he adds. For those who have had a
heart attack and want to prevent another one, "it ap