FDA Ruling on AspirinOctober 22, 1998 To minimize adverse events, low dosages (50-325) are recommended for cardiac and cerebral vascular uses (stroke.) (75-325 are recommended for angina and previous heart attack.) The rule does not recommend or suggest the use of aspirin by healthy individuals to lower the risk of heart. It also concludes that there is not enough data to recommend the use of aspirin in patients with peripheral vascular disease. .. Medications linked to development of cataracts identified; Aspirin is on the list. Use of aspirin and of a number of other medications is associated with an increased risk of cataract development according to a study of 3,600 people, median age 65 years. Not only does aspirin apparently not protect against cataract as has been previously suggested, but the possibility of a harmful effect of long-term aspirin also warrants attention, the researchers conclude. Ophthalmology 1998; 105:1751-1758 Aspirin-like drugs spark U.S. Silent Epidemic Dr. M. Michael Wolfe of the Boston University School of Medicine, said doctors have known for years that the class of medicines known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, cause ulcers and other stomach problems in a small fraction of patients. Ulcers caused by such drugs kill about 16,500 people in the United States each year, they reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. .. Unsubstantiated Claims by Bayer According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on January 11, 2000, Bayer Corp. will be spending $1 million to settle the governments charges that their advertisements oversold their benefits of their aspirin and the prevention of heart disease. The FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice was worried that aspirin can cause serious bleeding, hemorrhagic stroke and even death in some people. There is little evidence that aspirin prevents a heart attack in someone who doesnt already have vascular disease, said Dr. Rodman Starke of the American Heart Association. . The Risk of Coronary Artery Disease Atherosclerosis is characterized by the progressive build-up of fatty plaques in blood vessels, beginning with the appearance of the fatty streak. The fatty streak evolves over the years into atherosclerotic plaque as vessel walls are damaged by INFLAMMATION. LDL cholesterol that has undergone oxidative damage is considerably more atherogenic than native LDL. A key point is that oxidized LDL particles are ligands for the scavenger receptors on macrophages. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E and carotenoids are thought to be protective by preventing the oxidation and modification of LDL cholesterol. Medical Sciences Bulletin published by Pharmaceutical Information Associates, Ltd. . New Test Predicts Heart Disease Better Than Cholesterol Screen A simple, cheap blood test that predicts future heart disease more accurately than cholesterol screening could become a powerful new diagnostic tool for doctors. The High-Sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), also was more accurate than 10 other markers used in the study. This test, which looks for a protein that is a marker for inflammation, was nearly twice as accurate in predicting cardiovascular problems as conventional screening for cholesterol because half of all heart attacks occur in people who have normal cholesterol levels. New England Journal of Medicine, March 2000 David Rutlen , chief of cardiovascular medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin .. New Research on Strokes Findings from two studies link markers of Inflammation in the blood to an increased risk of stroke, suggesting that stroke may be the end result of an inflammatory process. Stroke risk is increased in individuals with high blood levels of C-reactive protein , a protein produced in response to inflammation, according to findings from the Framingham Heart Study and the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study. Presented at the 25th International Stroke Conference of the American Stroke Association February 2000 Periodontal Disease and Heart Disease are Linked According to a report in the February 2000 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology that involved more than 10,0000 adults, people with gum disease have a higher risk of heart disease. People who have gum disease, which is indicated, by red swollen gums that bleed during tooth brushing tend to have higher blood levels of fibrinogen, a clotting factor and an inflammatory molecule called C-reactive protein. This study suggests that gum disease might lead to repeated contact between bacteria and the blood stream, which could have an impact on blood fats and clotting factors. It also suggests that it is possible that bacteria might cause problems by escaping directly into the blood stream. |
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