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40 years
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My BP used to be 15/9 before med. after med (cozar 50mg) it is stable at 12/8. my heart is excellent, few months ago i did the Echo. I do sports regularly. should i take aspirin daily? no side effects
Aug 14, 2014
2nd opinion

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics
Aspirin increases the likelihood of bleeding and we fear of hemorrhagic strokes (the kind of stroke where there will be bleeding into the brain, as opposed to ischemic stroke, where a blood clot blocks blood supply to the brain), mainly in individuals with poorly controlled hypertension and/or associated co-morbid conditions like diabetes or high lipids in the blood.
Your BP is well controlled, you're only 40 (the cut-off age to start aspirin is usually between 45 and 50 years of age), and you're fit, you don't have associated diseases (diabetes, high cholesterol, bleeding tendency) the only risk factor in your case is smoking, knowing that cigarette smoking has been associated with persistent increases in hemoglobin. So if you smoke 10 or more cigarettes per day (note that one hubble-bubble is equivalent to THIRTEEN cigarettes), this is associated with an average hemoglobin increase of 3.5% compared with people who do not smoke, this increase in Hgb can be maintained as long as you're caught in the habit. It has also been shown that older people with longer smoking histories have higher hemoglobin levels, suggesting a possible dose-dependent effect.The hemoglobin increases may be further enhanced with the use ethanol (alcoholic beverages, if you consume any), which also appears to act in a dose-dependent manner.
So you see, it is not that simple.
I have to emphasize that initiating aspirin therapy is a decision you need to make by discussing the subject with your treating physician.
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