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For Immediate Release
Contact: Caroline Perrin
800-432-3247
Washington, DC - March 9, 2005 - The
Aspirin Foundation of America (AFA) today welcomed results
of the federally-funded Women's Health Study, which
found that aspirin significantly reduced the risk of
stroke in women. Stroke is the third leading cause of
death among women in the US, according to the American
Heart Association.
Specifically, the study reported a
24 percent reduction in the risk of an ischemic stroke.
Ischemic strokes account for over 80 percent of all
strokes.
The Women's Health Study of nearly
40,000 women over a period of 10 years is the largest
study to date to examine the health effects of aspirin
among women. The results were released March 7, 2005,
by the New England Journal of Medicine.
Regarding the study's findings on
heart health for women under 65, the AFA said it is
important to note that the study involved apparently
healthy women. Those considered to be at a higher risk
of a heart attack - which include women 65 years of
age and older - were found to have benefited from taking
aspirin. This finding is consistent with previous recommendations
by the FDA, the American Heart Association and the government-sponsored
US Preventive Services Task Force that aspirin therapy
should be considered for both men and women who are
at an increased risk of suffering a heart attack.
The findings are particularly important
for women because women suffer more strokes
than heart attacks in comparison to men. As a result,
low-dose aspirin therapy was said by lead researcher
Julie Buring, ScD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital,
to have "important public health implications."
"This is an important study
that confirmed previous findings of aspirin's health
benefits in preventing strokes and heart attacks among
those who are at risk," said Thomas E. Bryant,
MD, president of the AFA. "These findings will
improve health care for women and will help save women's
lives by assisting primary care physicians in prescribing
an effective treatment plan."
As with all medications, the AFA recommends
that all patients considering aspirin therapy consult
with their physician.
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Contact:
Caroline Perrin
807 National Press Building, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 800-432-3247 Fax: 202/737-8406
info@aspirin.org
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