Health
New Heart Risk Calculator Limits Aspirin Use
Health Points
- The PREVENT risk calculator now guides heart disease prevention using more individualized factors.
- Fewer people—about 1%—are eligible for preventive low-dose aspirin under this updated tool.
- Daily aspirin can cause serious bleeding, so it is now advised mainly for those at highest risk.
The latest PREVENT calculator from the American Heart Association means even fewer adults qualify for low-dose aspirin to prevent heart disease. This tool assesses personal risk by including factors like body mass index and kidney health.
Recent research found just 1% of middle-aged adults would qualify for aspirin prevention using PREVENT, as opposed to 8% with the previous calculator. Because of aspirin’s bleeding risk, it is now reserved for adults with a 10% or higher risk of a major heart event in the next ten years.
Interestingly, many people taking aspirin didn’t meet the recommended criteria under either version of the calculator.
“Always check with your doctor before starting daily low-dose aspirin, especially if you do not have heart disease.”
Stay informed so you and your healthcare team can make the best decisions for your heart health.