Figuring out whether to take a daily low-dose aspirin is tricky. By reducing the tendency of blood to clot, aspirin can help prevent a heart attack or a stroke…but it can also put you at risk for intestinal, even cerebral, bleeding. Do the benefits outweigh the risks—for you?
Even doctors don’t always get it right—in some medical practices, nearly two-thirds of patients on aspirin therapy shouldn’t be taking it.
Now a new, free smartphone app makes figuring that out easier, faster and safer.
DOC IN A POCKET
Aspirin Guide (currently available for iPhone and iPad only), an app designed by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, is designed for health-care professionals, but it’s patient-friendly, too. All you need to know is some basic medical information, such as your systolic blood pressure (the upper number), and your high-density (HDL) and total cholesterol numbers.
The app uses evidence-based algorithms to calculate your 10-year risk for heart attack, stroke and your risk of bleeding based on your answers to certain questions. It then gives two numbers, one for your likelihood of harm and one for your likelihood of benefit.
THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR APP ADVICE
What kind of patient can most benefit from Aspirin Guide? Probably not someone who has already had a heart attack or an ischemic stroke (the kind caused by a blood clot). That’s because a low-dose daily aspirin is a well-established therapy, so it’s likely that your doctor has already advised you to take it.
But if you are trying to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, the individualized information from the new app is a great starting point for a health-care conversation. What if your benefit is high but your risk of harm is also high? That’s a great question to ask your doctor. To learn more, read Bottom Line’s “The Aspirin Question: Too Many People Are Making the Wrong Choice.”