DIFFERING EFFECTS OF ASPIRIN IN MEN AND WOMEN.

Several studies presented at the American Heart Association 2005 Scientific Sessions show that aspirin has different effects on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in women and men. David L. Brown, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at State University of New York, Stony Brook and colleagues conducted a sex-specific meta-analysis that studied the effects of aspirin as primary prevention of stroke. In women, aspirin therapy was associated with a 24% reduced risk of ischemic stroke. In men, however, aspirin therapy had no effect on ischemic stroke, but it significantly increased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by 69%. Jeffrey S. Berger, MD, a fellow in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, presented data from 8,928 postmenopausal women with stable cardiovascular disease. Approximately half were receiving aspirin therapy to reduce risk of future cardiovascular disease events. Duke researchers reported that “aspirin therapy was associated with a significant reduction (25%) in all-cause mortality among postmenopausal women with cardiovascular disease.” ( Medscape Medical News, 2005 November)