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The old medical standby aspirin, whose usage has been re-evaluated in recent months because of studies linking newer anti-inflammatory drugs to heart disease, also may get a second look for its role in the prevention of strokes in some patients.
An article published in today's New England Journal of Medicine reports that patients at risk of developing a stroke caused by narrowed brain arteries should take aspirin rather than an anti-clotting drug known as warfarin.
The article is based on a five-year, $15 million study led by an Emory University Medical School researcher, Dr. Marc Chimowitz.
The study ended early because warfarin, marketed as Coumadin, was associated with more complications while showing no advantages over a high dose, or 1,300 milligrams, of aspirin.
The findings do not apply to all patients at risk of stroke but only those who are at risk because of narrowed brain arteries, Chimowitz said.
That is about 8 percent to 10 percent of patients at risk for stroke, or about 90,000 patients, Chimowitz said. The findings also do not apply to patients who take warfarin for other reasons, such as atrial fibrillation, Chimowitz said.
Still, the findings hold great promise for those patients at risk of stroke from narrowed brain arteries, Chimowitz said. Aspirin is cheaper than warfarin, and it also does not require regular blood tests to assess whether a patient's blood is getting too thin, as does warfarin.
The researchers estimate that treating with aspirin rather than warfarin could result in a $20 million in health care savings.
Copyright 2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
