Aspirin, an anti-inflammatory drug, is widely used to get relief from pain, fever, and/or inflammation. Now a new study has revealed that older adults who consume aspirin are more likely to develop anemia.
According to the study published on Monday, the risk for developing anemia was 23.5 percent among those assigned to receive low-dose aspirin. While conducting the study, the researchers examined hemoglobin concentrations among more than 19,000 healthy adults in the U.S. and Australia who were 65 and older.
“We knew from large clinical trials, including our … trial, that daily low-dose aspirin increased the risk of clinically significant bleeding. From our study we found that low-dose aspirin also increased the risk of anemia during the trial, and this was most likely due to bleeding that was not clinically apparent,” said Zoe McQuilten, MBBS, PhD, a hematologist at Monash University in Australia and lead author on the study.
According to health experts, a decrease in the levels of hemoglobin can lead to anemia. This condition is common among older people and can cause fatigue, a fast or irregular heartbeat, headaches, chest pain etc.
Doctors maintain that it can also worsen conditions such as congestive heart failure, cognitive impairment, and depression in people 65 and older. The findings of the study were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal.
On the basis of the outcomes of the study, the researchers estimated that 24 percent of the older adults in the daily aspirin group would develop anemia within five years as compared to 20 percent of those in the placebo group.
During the scientists also found that those who were taking aspirins during the study had slightly lower levels of hemoglobulin and ferritin, which help blood cells carry oxygen.
It is noteworthy that the study did not look at how aspirin may be contributing to anemia. However, scientists opine that aspirin makes it harder for blood to clot because it keeps platelets from sticking together.
The researchers believe this effect poses a bigger challenge for people who have other risks for anemia, such as inflammatory diseases like arthritis or chronic renal insufficiency.
They also emphasised that doctors should closely monitor their patients’ hemoglobin levels if they have multiple risk factors, including aspirin use.
