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The drug, which appeared on the shelves of pharmacies in 1893, is still sold without a prescription (not like, for example, cocaine, which in the same years was sold as a remedy for toothache). The main active ingredient of aspirin is a substance with a difficult to pronounce name “acetylsalicylic acid”. It is also included in the popular citramone, sedalgin, ibuprofen, diclofenac and more than 400 other drugs.
In addition to the well-known properties, scientists have discovered several new ones – useful and not very useful. The doctors (and we) warned you.
Pulmonologists: can be used to prevent the development of asthma.
Approximately 37 thousand healthy women aged 45 and older were divided into two groups. For ten years, each of them took a pill every other day. The tablets for the first group contained 100 mg of aspirin, for the second – no active ingredients, this was a placebo for control. As reported by the British medical journal , over the next 10 years, among women taking pills with aspirin, asthma was 10% less.
The protective properties of aspirin did not appear in obese women (those whose body mass index is more than 30). The authors note that their study was not specifically designed to analyze the risk of bronchial asthma, therefore, it is necessary to organize special studies before making any recommendations.
Oncologists: can be used in the treatment of early stages of cancer
Scientists from (loved by all readers of scientific news ) found that aspirin inhibits the formation of blood vessels that feed a growing tumor.
Scientists suggest that aspirin has this effect because it has anti-inflammatory effects: it acts on the NFkappaB protein molecule, which regulates both the body’s response to inflammatory processes and the development of neoplasms.
Dentists: Don’t Chew It!
Dentists at the University of Maryland in Baltimore have concluded that aspirin has a detrimental effect on dental health if not taken properly.
Experts talked about two cases when patients had dental problems due to the constant intake of aspirin. Everything would be fine, but instead of taking soluble tablets or drinking hard water with water, the patients chewed them. As with any acid, aspirin has a damaging effect on tooth enamel.
Plus, aspirin as a pain reliever if a toothache is accompanied by bleeding gums. It can worsen from aspirin, so it is better to take ibuprofen and rush to the doctor.
Cardiologists: Prescribe a little bit
Millions of people take aspirin every day to prevent clogging of blood vessels, heart attack and heart attacks, as it promotes blood thinning, and, accordingly, reduces the risk of blockage of blood vessels by formed blood clots – thrombi.
True, this should be done only according to the doctor’s prescription, only in a dose determined by the doctor, and it makes sense to do this in the near-retirement age.
Ophthalmologists: self-medication threatens blindness
The already mentioned ability of aspirin to reduce blood clotting has led to the fact that retinal hemorrhages have become more frequent in those who use it regularly, according to a study published quite a long time ago in … The hemorrhage resulted in a decrease in visual acuity up to blindness. And people sometimes prescribed a regular admission to themselves, without consulting a doctor.