New National Study Reveals Mis-medication and Under-utilization of Aspirin Could Have Significant Impact on Public Health

Exclusive Medscape Report Says 2.7 Million Americans May be Incorrectly Using Non-Aspirin Medications to Prevent or Treat Cardiovascular Disease.

A national study of more than 29,000 people over age 40 projects as many as 2.7 million Americans - or approximately 3% of the over-40 population -- may be incorrectly using such common over-the-counter pain relievers as ibuprofen and acetaminophen to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) instead of - or in combination with - the aspirin recommended by their physicians.

A national study of more than 29,000 people over age 40 projects as many as 2.7 million Americans - or approximately 3% of the over-40 population -- may be incorrectly using such common over-the-counter pain relievers as ibuprofen and acetaminophen to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) instead of - or in combination with - the aspirin recommended by their physicians.

These are the findings of an exclusive report, "Mis-medication and Under-utilization of Aspirin in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease," just posted on Medscape General Medicine (MedGenMed, http://www.medscape.com/journal/Med-
GenMed), the Internet's pioneering exclusively online primary-source, peer-reviewed general medical journal.

The peer-reviewed report discloses that:

• Among users of analgesics (pain relievers), 11% incorrectly took the non-aspirin products to prevent CVD and another 10% erroneously took them in combination with aspirin. Such mis-medication was greater in women then in men, but was not related to age.
• Among those reporting prior CVD, only 43% used aspirin for secondary prevention. Among analgesic users with prior CVD, 11% incorrectly took only non-aspirin products and another 14% used a combination of non-aspirin and aspirin products.

Based on these and other responses, the authors project that 1.3 million people nationally may be erroneously taking non-aspirin products for CVD prevention, while another 1.4 million could be incorrectly using them with aspirin for the same purpose. "Greater physician awareness of the cardiovascular benefits of aspirin will help reduce the under-use of aspirin for cardiovascular prevention, particularly secondary prevention," the authors said in their report. "Equally important in the effort to reduce mis-medication and promote the appropriate use of such over-the-counter drugs as aspirin is better patient education. This must come from both physicians and healthcare professionals, as well as from clear product labeling regarding indications, side effects and potential interactions with other medications.

"In conclusion," the authors noted, "these data document the under-use of aspirin for prevention of CVD and misuse of other analgesics mistakenly taken for the purpose of cardiovascular prevention. Efforts to increase the appropriate use of aspirin in the primary and secondary prevention of CVD will have a significant impact on public health, especially given the importance of CVD as a cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide." The use of aspirin has been the focus of much research in both treatment and primary prevention of CVD, the study says, and among those with prior CVD, aspirin has been clearly established as an important therapy in secondary prevention of CVD, with labeling recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The authors of the study are: Nancy R. Cook, ScD, and Claudia Chae, MD, both of the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; Franco B. Muller, MD, The Foresight Group; Stephen Landis and Andrea M. Saks, MBA, icon and Landis International; and Charles H. Hennekens, MD, Visiting Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine. SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare sponsored the study.

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Article courtesy of the Medscape General Medicine (MedGenMed)