The practical use of acetylsalicylic acid in the era of the ASPRE trial. Update and literature review.

It is now well established that acetylsalicylic acid - one of the most widely prescribed drugs today - has brought a new era in maternal-fetal medicine. The History of medicine mentions several antecedents. Extracts made from willow contained in clay tablets are reported in both ancient Sumer and Egypt. In 400 BC, Hippocrates referred to the use of salicylic tea to reduce fevers. In the 1950s, acetylsalicylic acid entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest selling painkiller. There is little doubt that acetylsalicylic acid - one of the first drugs to enter common usage - remains one of the most researched drugs in the world.