Aspirin
hideAspirin (USAN), also known as acetylsalicylic acid (pronounced /əˌsɛtɪlsælɪˌsɪlɪk ˈæsɪd/, abbreviated ASA), is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication.
Aspirin also has an antiplatelet effect by inhibiting thromboxane prostaglandins, which under normal circumstances bind platelet molecules together to repair damaged blood vessels. This is why aspirin is used in long-term, low doses to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clot formation in people at high risk for developing blood clots. It has also been established that low doses of aspirin may be given immediately after a heart attack to reduce the risk of another heart attack or of the death of cardiac tissue.
The main undesirable side effects of aspirin are gastrointestinal ulcers, stomach bleeding, and tinnitus, especially in higher doses. In children and adolescents, aspirin is no longer used to control flu-like symptoms or the symptoms of chickenpox or other viral illnesses, due to the risk of Reye's syndrome.
Aspirin was the first discovered member of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), not all of which are salicylates, although they all have similar effects and most have inhibition of the enzyme cyclooxygenase as their mechanism of action. Today, aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in the world, with an estimated 40,000 metric tons of it being consumed each year. In countries where Aspirin is a registered trademark owned by Bayer, the generic term is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).
For more information about Aspirin, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with aspirin
Effects of aspirin and folic acid on inflammation markers for colorectal adenomas
Oct 12, 2009 |
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Unexpectedly, inflammation markers do not appear to be involved with the chemopreventative effect of aspirin on colorectal adenomas, according to a brief communication published online October 12 in the Journal of the Na ...
Aspirin misuse may have made 1918 flu pandemic worse
Oct 02, 2009 |
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The devastation of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic is well known, but a new article suggests a surprising factor in the high death toll: the misuse of aspirin. Appearing in the November 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Di ...
Australia's largest clinical trial to test benefits of aspirin
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Researchers at Monash University and the United States-based Berman Center for Outcomes & Clinical Research will lead an international clinical trial to test whether taking aspirin contributes to good health in the elderly.
Aspirin protection for Lynch syndrome
Sep 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A daily dose of aspirin can prevent the occurrence of cancer in people with a genetic predisposition towards Lynch syndrome, a Newcastle University scientist has told Europe’s largest cancer congress. Lynch ...
Researchers: Aspirin cuts colon cancer risk
Sep 21, 2009 |
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(AP) -- People with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer could cut their chances of developing the disease in half by taking a daily dose of aspirin, researchers said Monday.
Aspirin shows promise for colon cancer patients
Aug 11, 2009 |
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Men and women who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and began regular use of aspirin had a lower risk of overall and colorectal cancer death compared to patients not using aspirin, according to a study in the August 12 ...
Heart disease patients with previous blockages more likely to die
Aug 03, 2009 |
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Heart disease patients with previous atherosclerosis (fat deposits in the walls of the arteries) are more likely to die in the hospital and less likely to be treated with recommended therapies, researchers report in Circulation: Jo ...
FDA panel: Lower maximum daily dose of Tylenol
Medicine & Health / Medications
Jun 30, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Government experts called for sweeping safety restrictions Tuesday on the most widely used painkiller, including reducing the maximum dose of Tylenol and eliminating prescription drugs such as Vicodin ...
Benefit of aspirin for healthy people is uncertain
May 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has shown that, while taking aspirin is beneficial in preventing heart attacks and strokes among people with established cardiovascular disease (secondary prevention), its benefits ...
Silver nanoparticles show 'immense potential' in prevention of blood clots
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
May 27, 2009 |
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Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential new alternative to aspirin, ReoPro, and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. ...
Women with chest pain less likely then men to get proper treatment from paramedics
May 15, 2009 |
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Women with chest pain are less likely than male patients to receive recommended, proven therapies while en route to the hospital, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Despite evidence ...
Study compares formulations of 3 aspirin types
May 15, 2009 |
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For many years, it has been known that aspirin is beneficial to patients suffering heart attacks and near-heart attacks. But which of the many different types of aspirin is likely to help the most?
Aspirin appears to help lower risk of stroke for patients with peripheral artery disease
May 12, 2009 |
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An analysis of previous studies indicates that among patients with peripheral artery disease, aspirin use is associated with a statistically nonsignificant decrease in the risk of a group of combined cardiovascular events ...
FDA toughens warnings on over-the-counter painkillers
Medicine & Health / Medications
Apr 29, 2009 |
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The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it is asking drugmakers to more prominently display safety warnings on the labels of some of the most widely used over-the-counter pain and fever remedies.
Aspirin and similar drugs may be associated with brain microbleeds in older adults
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Apr 13, 2009 |
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Individuals who take aspirin or other medications that prevent blood clotting by inhibiting the accumulation of platelets appear more likely to have tiny, asymptomatic areas of bleeding in the brain, according to a report ...
