A New Role for the Wonder Drug

Talk about a panacea. Two years ago, doctors announced that daily doses of plain old inexpensive aspirin could significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks. Now the ubiquitous little pill that seems to be good for everything from headaches to menstrual cramps has done it again. Its new role: preventing strokes.

In a report published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers revealed that daily doses of aspirin, or of a blood-thinning medication called warfarin, could sharply curtail the risk of stroke in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heartbeat is rapid and irregular. The 1 million Americans who have this abnormality face five times the normal risk of stroke. The study, which was to involve 1,244 patients over four years, found that the drugs could cut that risk so dramatically, by 80%, that research was halted after just two years so that the control group could also be treated. "We were shocked," admits principal investigator Dr. David Sherman, a neurologist at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Interrupting the study left several questions unanswered. Most important, the researchers do not yet know which of the two drugs is more effective. Since aspirin is safer and easier to administer, doctors would prefer to use it exclusively. But warfarin, a prescription drug that is commonly used to prevent blood clots in the heart and lungs, could turn out to do the job better. The study also suggests that aspirin is ineffective in patients over 75 years old.

Doctors stress that patients should not start popping either drug on their own. Both can be dangerous, particularly for people with ulcers and other forms of internal bleeding. But with proper supervision, the medications' benefit is clear. And not just for patients' physical well-being. Researchers estimate that by preventing strokes, the drugs could save Americans up to $200 million a year in medical costs.