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Aspirin Use in Patients Aged 80 years and over in Turkey: Snapshot of Results from the ASSOS Study
Kadriye Memiç Sancar1, Oğuzhan Çelik2, Cem Çil2, Özcan Başaran2, Erkan Demirci3, Veysel Ozan Tanık4, Mucahit Yetim5, Osman Karaarslan5, Lütfü Bekar5, Tolga Doğan6, Mubariz Murat Resulzade7, Çağlar Kaya8, Volkan Doğan2, Murat Biteker21Deparment of Cardiology, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey2Deparment of Cardiology, Mugla Sitki Kocman University Training and Research Hospital, Mugla, Turkey
3Deparment of Cardiology, Kayseri City Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey
4Deparment of Cardiology, Ankara Dıskapı Yıldırım Beyazıd Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
5Department of Cardiology, Hitit University Corum Erol Olcok Training and Research Hospital, Corum, Turkey
6Department of Cardiology, Bursa Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey
7Department of Cardiology, Private Hospital park Darica Hospital, Kocaeli, Turkey
8Department of Cardiology, Edirne Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey
INTRODUCTION: Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is commonly used with various indications, especially in the elderly population. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy and aspirin use in patients aged ≥80 years.
METHODS: The ASSOS trial is a cross-sectional, national registry study. This nonrandomized study was conducted by 30 cardiologists in 14 cities on the elderly (over the age of 80 years) who used aspirin (80–325 mg). Polypharmacy is described as an intake of five or more medicines daily.
RESULTS: A total of 309 patients were included in the study, and 146 (47.2%) of them were females. Aspirin treatment for primary prevention (PP) was reported to be given to 101 (32.7%) patients, and polypharmacy was detected in 198 (64.1%) patients. Major gastrointestinal bleeding was reported in 7 (3.5%) patients in the polypharmacy group and 0 (0.0%) patients in the without polypharmacy group (p=0.043). Minor bleeding was reported in 58 (29.3%) patients in the polypharmacy group and in 8 (7.2%) patients in the group without polypharmacy (p<0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Aspirin was reported to be used commonly among patients aged ≥80 years for PP although the current guidelines do not recommend aspirin for PP in Turkey. Polypharmacy is still critical in the very elderly population and should be carefully considered in terms of complications.
Manuscript Language: English