Aspirin is perhaps best known for its painkilling properties.
But another of its actions in the body is to inhibit the ability
of blood components called ‘platelets’ to stick together. It’s
when platelets clump together that clots are formed. In other
words, aspirin partially inhibits clot formation. Small blood
clots called ‘trombi’ are essentially responsible for the
blocking off of arteries that can cause heart attacks and
strokes. For this reason, many individuals are advised to take
aspirin regularly to help prevent these ‘cardiovascular’ events.
However, there has in recent times been some challenge to the
conventional wisdom on aspirin. There has been growing awareness
that many people need to be treated with aspirin for one to
benefit as well the fact that aspirin can cause side-effects
(like bleeding in the gut) that can be extremely hazardous and
even fatal, particularly in the elderly. The ardour that the
medical profession once had for aspirin has cooled of late.
Further dampening of the enthusias