Aspirin Dose for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

This article presents a clinical review of aspirin therapy for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The object was to review the mechanism of action of aspirin and the clinical literature for relationships among aspirin dosage, efficacy and safety. The conclusion of the authors is that currently available clinical data does not support the routine, long-term use of aspirin dosages greater than 75 to 81 md/d in the setting of cardiovascular disease prevention. Higher dosages do not prevent events better but are associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.