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Aspirin Therapy For Vascular Disorders

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Aspirin Therapy for Vascular Disorders

Physicians across the country agree that daily use of aspirin for prevention of vascular disorders is controversial (Neale, 2014). Dr. J. Jaques Carter of Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston admits that he used to recommend a daily aspirin to all of his middle-aged adult patients, regardless of vascular disease risk factors being present, as it was standard procedure at the time (Neale, 2014). Dr. Len Horovitz of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City explains that the FDA guidelines regarding “routine” prescription of aspirin for men and women over age 55 and 65 respectively have changed as studies have demonstrated the greater risk of GI bleeding …show more content…

This paper will explore the benefits and risks of routine use of aspirin therapy in the treatment of vascular disease and prevention of its concurrent complications. According to Burchum & Rosenthal (2016) five major “risk factors for heart disease are age, gender, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and smoking status”. If you fit this profile, a daily aspirin might be recommended as you are at high risk for having your first heart attack, may have had a heart attack or stroke in the past and as long as you do not have a history of bleeding or clotting disorders (Mayo Clinic, 2016). The benefit of a daily aspirin would be to prevent platelets from sticking together and forming a blockage where a vessel is damaged due to disease or lifestyle or may be narrowed from fat deposits or atherosclerosis (Mayo Clinic, 2016). VanWormer et al. (2012) proposed that aspirin therapy is actually under-utilized by high-risk patients and over-utilized by those at low risk for cardiovascular disease where the risk of bleeding is greater than the possible benefits. Having limited data regarding the sociodemographic variables of aspirin use, VanWormer et al. (2012) set about creating a study to evaluate these variables among adults in Wisconsin without a history of cardiovascular disease. Using guidelines for aspirin use established by the US Preventive Services

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