Taking aspirin is linked to a 26% increased risk of heart failure

Aspirin is related to an increased risk of heart failure, according to a recent study.

In adults with at least one predisposing factor for heart failure, taking aspirin is linked to a 26% increased risk of heart failure. This is the conclusion of a study published in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology, today (November 22, 2021). (ESC). Smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease were all predisposing factors.

“This is the first study to show that people who use aspirin who have at least one risk factor for heart failure are more likely to get the condition than people who don’t,” said study author Dr. Blerim Mujaj of the University of Freiburg in Germany. “While the findings need to be confirmed, they do suggest that the possible link between aspirin and heart failure should be investigated.” The impact of aspirin on heart failure is debatable. The goal of this study was to see how it relates to heart failure incidence in those with and without heart disease, as well as to see if taking the medicine is linked to a new heart failure diagnosis in those who are at risk.

The research included 30,827 people at risk of heart failure who were enrolled in the HOMAGE study in Western Europe and the United States. Smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease were all classified as “at risk.” At the start of the study, all of the participants were over 40 years old and had no signs of heart failure. At the time of enrollment, individuals’ aspirin consumption was recorded, and they were divided into two groups: users and non-users. Participants were tracked for the first time they developed fatal or non-fatal heart failure that necessitated hospitalization.

The average age of the participants was 67, and 34% of them were female. At the start of the study, 7,698 people (or 25%) were using aspirin. Over the course of the 5.3-year follow-up, 1,330 people suffered heart failure.

After controlling for sex, age, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, blood pressure, heart rate, blood cholesterol, creatinine, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, beta-blockers, and lipid-lowering drugs, the researchers looked at the link between aspirin use and incident heart failure. Taking aspirin was linked to a 26% increased risk of getting a new heart failure diagnosis.

The researchers repeated the analysis after matching aspirin users and non-users for heart failure risk variables to ensure that the findings were consistent. Aspirin was linked to a… Brinkwire News Summary in this matched analysis.

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