Taking aspirin daily can reduce a person's risk of developing a blood clot by a third. This is according to a study published yesterday in the journal Circulation.
Blood clots can lead to strokes and can be fatal. Blood clots also cause pulmonary embolisms, which is when a clot stops blood flow to the lungs and the patient suffocates.
The study's lead author, University of Sydney professor John Simes, said the study was important because aspirin was a cheap drug and could be the ideal choice for treatment in poorer countries, where blood-thinning medication is expensive.
Simes said: "Aspirin is cheap, but it will save the treatment costs of the many recurrent clots that are prevented. This could mean a saving of millions of healthcare dollars worldwide."
CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Vash Mungal-Singh, said taking aspirin might be beneficial but also had potential risks.
"Aspirin as a prevention for cardiovascular disease is a decision that must be made with your doctor," Mungal-Singh said.
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