Aspirin, Cost-Effective Heart Disease Prevention

	Tweet

Using aspirin for coronary heart prevention is less costly and more effective than doing nothing in men older than 45 with more than 10 percent 10-year-risk of the disease, according to a study by researchers at RTI International, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The study, published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine, used a Markov model to compare the costs and outcomes of prescribing low-dose aspirin alone, aspirin plus a proton-pump inhibitor, or no treatment for coronary heart prevention. The researchers specifically considered the effects of each treatment on cardiovascular events and risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

“This analysis supports the role of aspirin for primary prevention of cardio heart disease events in middle-aged men across a range of cardio heart disease and gastrointestinal bleeding risk levels,” said Stephanie Earnshaw, Ph.D., a health economist at RTI Health Solutions, a business unit of RTI, and the paper’s lead author. 

"Increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding does not reduce aspirin’s net benefit until gastrointestinal bleeding risk becomes quite high.”

The researchers also found that adding proton pump inhibitors was not cost-effective for men with average gastrointestinal tract bleeding, but may be cost-effective for selected men at increased risk for gastrointestinal bleeding.

About RTI International
RTI International is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 2,800 provides research and technical expertise to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, and laboratory and chemistry services.

###

Source: RTI International

RELATED STORIES:
Scientists turn skin cells into beating heart muscle   Too many people get angioplasties, study suggests   New Blood Thinner May Lower Chances of Clots in High-Risk Heart Patients: FDA   Heart Damage After Chemo Linked to Stress in Cardiac Cells   What’s good or bad for the heart, may be the same for the brain   Warfarin in Heart Failure   Increased Sudden Cardiac Death Rate Among HIV Patients   Air pollution level changes in Beijing linked with biomarkers of cardiovascular disease   Lack of basic evidence hampering prevention of sudden heart attacks in sport   Blacks Less Likely to Get Help on Scene After Cardiac Arrest: Study   Heart attack patients taken to PCI hospitals first treated faster   Cameron Health’s under-skin ICD safe, effective

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]