Longevity & AgingLow-Dose Aspirin Falls Short in Preventing First Cardiovascular Events in Kidney Disease
Low-dose aspirin did not clearly prevent first cardiovascular events in adults with chronic kidney disease in the randomized ATTACK trial. Researchers assigned 4,633 adults, averaging 73 years old, to daily aspirin or no aspirin alongside usual care. After about three years, heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular deaths occurred in 2.4% of the aspirin group versus 3.3% of the comparison group, a difference that was not statistically significant. Nonfatal strokes were significantly less frequent with aspirin, but overall deaths and major bleeding did not differ significantly. Recruitment fell far short of the planned 25,000 participants, leaving uncertainty about potential benefits and harms. The findings do not support routinely starting aspirin to prevent a first cardiovascular event in this population. They do not change its established role after cardiovascular events.
