The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7384 p65
21 January 2006

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Effects of aspirin may differ between men and women

Low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of cardiovascular events through its effect on ischaemic stroke in women and myocardial infarction in men, according to a meta-analysis published this week (JAMA 2005;295:306).

Researchers conducted a study to determine if the benefits and risks of aspirin treatment in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease vary by sex. They found that in 51,342 women, aspirin therapy was associated with a 12 per cent reduction in cardiovascular events (P=0.03) and a 17 per cent reduction in stroke (P=0.02). It had no effect on MI or cardiovascular mortality. In 44,114 men, aspirin was associated with a 14 per cent reduction in cardiovascular events (P=0.01) and a 32 per cent reduction in MI (P=0.001) but had no effect on stroke or cardiovascular mortality. In addition, aspirin increased the risk of major bleeding in both women (overall risk 1.68) and men (OR 1.72).

The authors note that although their results indicate that aspirin may have different effects in men and women, the relatively small numbers of MIs among women and strokes among men mean that further studies are needed.