Have you been told by a doctor that you need to take aspirin to help your heart? Almost a third of all middle-aged adults in the United States take aspirin on a regular basis. Doctors recommend a low-dose spirin regimens for those that have had heart attacks, strokes, or have a risk for either one. A new study shows that the aspirin you might be taking to benefit your health in one area could be harmful in another.
A 15-year study recently found that regular aspirin use (they classified “regular” as once a week) was strongly linked to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause blindness, in older adults. The longer a person takes aspirin, the higher the risk was for developing neovascular AMD. Many adults take aspirin as part of their daily regimen, so their regular use would be far beyond the “once a week” that the study examined.
Doctors participating in the study said that aspirin is often not viewed as a drug by those taking it, so many patients are not aware of all the possible side effects. Many patients are even on a low dose labeled as children’s aspirin so the risk is assumed to be minimal by those taking it. Some may be aware that aspirin use can lead to internal bleeding or ulcers, but this new study shows that other effects still being discovered.
If you have been misinformed of your medications’ side effects, contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Shevlin Smith today at (703) 721-4233. Our board-certified lawyers in Fairfax, Virginia, can help you navigate the process.
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