Can Aspirin Prolong a Healthy Life?
Largest NIA Sponsored International Clinical Trial to Test Benefits of Aspirin Specifically in People Age 70 and Over
From the Berman Center, at the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation
In an effort to extend the length of a disability-free life for older adults, researchers across the United States and Australia have partnered in the largest international trial ever sponsored by the US National Institute on Aging (NIA).
The Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study aims to assess whether aspirin can not only prolong life, but a life free of physical disability and/ or dementia for healthy older people.
According to ASPREE principal investigator, Dr. Richard Grimm, Medical Director of the Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research, and Professor of Cardiology and Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, “ASPREE is unprecedented in that it’s the largest trial and the first international trial the NIA has ever done. What we learn from this study will help determine whether physicians recommend aspirin as preventive medicine to their older patients.”
While it is known that aspirin prevents heart attacks and strokes in people with established heart disease - benefits which clearly outweigh any risks associated with aspirin, such as bleeding - the role of aspirin in people without a history of cardiovascular disease is less certain.
“In the US, Australia and elsewhere, people are living longer so identifying treatments to prolong life free of physical disability and memory problems is increasingly important,” explains ASPREE investigator Dr. Anne Murray, epidemiologist and geriatrician, and Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics at the University of Minnesota. “Aspirin is a potentially useful drug as it is cheap and widely available.”
To date, very little information is available about the overall effects of aspirin in older adults, because most trials focus on middle-aged people. The ASPREE study, for the first time, will determine whether the potential benefits of low dose aspirin outweigh the risks specifically for people age 70 and over.
“Because of its proven effectiveness in preventing second events, many doctors have also prescribed aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes in otherwise healthy people,” explains Professor John McNeil, Head of the Monash School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine in Australia, and also a principal investigator for ASPREE.
“However, in the last couple of years, serious doubts have been raised about the evidence supporting this practice, and as a result, editorials in major medical journals have called for this question to be settled.”
The ASPREE study will enroll 6,500 healthy individuals age 70 and over in the US and another 12,500 in Australia. All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to take either low dose aspirin or placebo daily for about 5 years.
Patients will receive initial measurements on specific health markers, as well as functional and cognitive ability, and changes in these will be monitored throughout the study.
“ASPREE offers a unique opportunity to discover if aspirin can prevent functional decline in older adults,” says Dr. Murray. “For an aging population, that’s an important question to answer.”
ASPREE is being conducted in clinics and universities located in select cities in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas. More information can be found at www.ASPREE.org.
Originally developed as a pilot study by Monash University in Australia, the ASPREE study is being conducted in partnership between Monash University, the Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research in Minneapolis, MN, and the National Institute on Aging.
###
If you would like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with Professor John McNeil, Dr. Anne Murray, or Dr. Richard Grimm, please call Nathan Tessum at 612-341-7907 or email ntessum@bermancenter.org.
