Tighter Aspirin Control Urged For Patients with Diabetes

Taking aspirin increases bleeding risk that is not always outweighed by the potential benefits for patients with low cardiovascular disease risk.

The American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology issued a joint statement in June calling for tighter criteria in the use of aspirin as a primary prevention strategy against cardiovascular disease (CVD) for patients with diabetes. This represents a change from the recommendations issued in 2007. "The 2007 joint statement recommended that acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as aspirin, be used as a primary prevention strategy in patients with diabetes mellitus over 40 years of age or with one or more additional cardiovascular risk factors," explains Leslie Cho, MD, editor-in-chief of Heart Advisor and director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Center at Cleveland Clinic.