• Posted July 7, 2025

Many Older Adults Taking Daily Aspirin Despite Tighter Guidelines

About 1 in 6 older adults takes daily aspirin to prevent heart disease, even though stricter guidelines say it’s not for everyone, a new study says.

Worse, nearly a quarter of those folks started taking aspirin without a doctor’s recommendation, and about 1 in 10 haven’t discussed their use with any health care provider, researchers found.

“For some patients without a history of cardiovascular disease, the benefits of taking aspirin for primary prevention may be offset by an increased risk of bleeding, especially as patients get older,” said senior researcher Dr. Jordan Schaefer, a clinical associate professor of internal medicine-hematology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

“It is even more concerning when patients are taking aspirin without consulting their physician,” Schaefer added in a news release. “A provider can’t help a patient understand the risks and benefits of aspirin if they are left in the dark.”

During the past decade, newer research highlighted a significant bleeding risk associated with aspirin’s use in people who have no history of heart attack or heart disease, researchers said in background notes.

As a result, guidelines have tightened around aspirin’s use as primary prevention — warding off heart problems before they develop, researchers said.

A significant number of people remain unaware of this bleeding risk, the new study found.

Only 68% of people agree that daily aspirin increases risk of bleeding, based on the researchers’ survey of more than 2,500 people between 50 and 80 years of age.

More than 80% said aspirin helps with general health, and 29% believed it reduces the risk of dementia, researchers found.

“It appears that older adults taking aspirin may anticipate benefits beyond reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and may not fully understand the added risk of bleeding,” lead researcher Dr. Mark Edwards, an internal medicine resident at University of Michigan Health, said in a news release.

Younger survey participants aged 50 to 69 were more than twice as likely to take aspirin despite having no history of heart disease, compared to those aged 70 to 80, results showed.

Women and those with a household income $60,000 or greater also were more likely to use aspirin for primary prevention, researchers added.

“Aspirin use is much more of a complex question than it once seemed, which is all the more reason why it is important to consult a heath care provider when considering use,” researcher Dr. Geoffrey Barnes, an associate professor of internal medicine-cardiology at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a news release.

“I would recommend that anyone over 40 years old talk to their provider about their risk for cardiovascular disease, with careful consideration of family and health histories,” he added.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association advise against aspirin use for primary prevention after age 70, and recommend its use in younger people only if they are at higher risk for a heart condition based on a 10-year risk calculation.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against daily aspirin for primary prevention after 60, and stopping around 75 for those taking it based on higher risk, researchers said.

The new study appears in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on primary prevention of heart disease.

SOURCE: University of Michigan, news release, July 2, 2025