Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: thedoc on 04/12/2016 02:53:02
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@Sammybingo asked the Naked Scientists:
Should I be taking baby aspirin after my "thrombotic event" or is that a load of Daily Mail tosh? x
What do you think?
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A thrombosis is a blood clot which blocks a blood vessel. Depending on the location, it could affect a limb, or travel to the heart (causing a heart attack), the lungs (you can't get oxygen into your system) or brain (a stroke). So the results can be lethal.
A colleague recently suffered a blood clot affecting his heart. Surgeons physically removed the clot, installed 2 stents, and now have him on anti-clotting medication for a year, and possibly aspirin for the rest of his life.
Anti-coagulants carry risks of increased bleeding, and some require weekly medical tests to ensure the right level. Deciding if one is needed, and what sort is a decision for a medical specialist.
- They will take factors like age into account.
- And why it occurred (if known).
- An injury
- Sitting still for a long time in a plane can cause clots in the legs. So stay hydrated, and move around occasionally.
- Some heart conditions can generate blood clots
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombosis
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Ask your doctor.
We don't give medical advice here.
(Weirdly, I had to remove a lot of the quote- it was "blacklisted"
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Does the medical profession really talk about "baby Aspirin" I would have thought that mg/Kg made more sense.
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Does the medical profession really talk about "baby Aspirin" I would have thought that mg/Kg made more sense.
One of the problems the medical world faces is talking to patients.
I once knew a doctor from Turkey. His understanding of medicine was, of course, first class- he had just learned it.
And his grasp of conversational English was excellent.
Where he came to grief was on the words and phrases that people use as euphemisms for bodily functions.
(There is, for example, no sensible way to work out what "going for a number two" means, unless you already know it from the context)
Eventually he tracked down a book of them.
In much the same way, while patients talk of "baby aspirin" the doctors have to do so too.
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Aspirin acts by deactivating platelets - a component of your blood that acts at an early stage of forming a blood clot.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiplatelet_drug (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiplatelet_drug)
An average of 1011 platelets are produced daily in a healthy adult.
The average life span of circulating platelets is 8 to 9 days
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platelet
If taken every day, a low dose of aspirin will keep the level of active platelets low - typical anticoagulant aspirin has 80-100mg of aspirin, compared to 300-500mg for typical headache pills for an adult. I guess this is why it was described as "baby aspirin".
Taking aspirin for long periods can cause bleeding in the stomach. So aspirin intended for regular consumption has a coating that does not break down in the acid of the stomach, but only when it moves beyond the stomach.
But the decision to take any kind of medication must be taken in consultation with your medical expert.
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Note that there is an association between children taking aspirin and Reye's Syndrome (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reye_syndrome#Aspirin). This syndrome can cause brain damage and death, but is fortunately fairly rare (1 in 1 million children per year).
This has led to warnings in some countries against taking aspirin under 18 years old, especially in the case of fever-causing disease such as influenza.
- There are some genetic markers that highlight susceptible individuals
- But one would have to say that there is no such thing as "Baby Aspirin" today, since it is now only recommended for adults.