Study finds low dosage aspirin use linked to ulcers

A new study has found that low doses of aspirin, while decreasing the chance of heart attack or stroke, can increase the occurrence of developing ulcers.

A study, carried out by Jupiter, measured the prevalence and incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers among 187 aspirin therapy patients from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and Spain.

Results showed that one in ten people taking low-dose aspirin to prevent a stroke or heart attack had a stomach ulcer at any point in time.

Patients that were above 70-years old or that had a Helicobacter pylori infection were three times more at risk.

“Aspirin is a very useful, inexpensive form of therapy to help reduce the chance of heart attack or stroke among higher-risk patients. It works by helping to prevent the platelets in our blood from sticking together and forming a clot,” said professor Neville Yeomans, dean of the University of Western Sydney’s Medical School, and lead researcher.

“The downside is that aspirin, like most other anti-inflammatories, increases the risk of ulcers, and its blood-thinning properties can promote ulcer bleeds.

“This study reveals a high prevalence of ulcers in patients prescribed low-dose aspirin for vascular protection – doses between 75-300 mg a day.”

One of the surprising results of the study was that patients experienced virtually none of the expected warning symptoms for ulcers, such as indigestion, abdominal pain, acid reflux, nausea or bloating, and the ulcers were undetected until the patients underwent an endoscopy.

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