Month: August 2014

Aspirin may offer some long-term protection for people who have had blood clots in the legs or lungs, a new study suggests. The study combined the results of two similar, smaller studies. They included 1,224 people who had a previous deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the legs or lungs. In each case, there was no likely cause, such as recent surgery. They were treated with heparin to dissolve the clot. In this situation, the risk of another clot is about 10% in the next year. To reduce the risk, people take warfarin or another blood thinner for 6 months to a year. But then most people stop taking the drugs because they increase the risk of bleeding. Everyone in these studies had completed initial treatment. They were randomly assigned to further treatment with daily low-dose aspirin or placebo (fake) pills.