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The chemical name of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, it was first produced in 1899 and has been in constant use as a pain and fever reliever ever since…it was also the world’s first anti-inflammatory drug
aspirin has been and continues to be used for all sorts of pains, including headache, migraine, sore throat, toothache, muscular pain, arthritis, neuralgia, period pain, and many of the symptoms associated with colds and flu.
aspirin works by reducing the sensitivity of the nerves both at the site of pain and in the central nervous system….paracetamol and ibuprofen work in a similar way as do the more powerful non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Certainly, the global consumption in the year 2000 was approximately 35000 tons, equivalent to about 100 billion tablets
Over the past 30 years it has become universally recognised as a very valuable treatment at low doses for the reduction of risk of heart disease and stroke and more recently there is increasing evidence that it can reduce the risk of some cancers and slow the development of Alzheimer’s disease
aspirin, even in very small doses has a powerful effect on particles in our blood called platelets, and platelets are an important part of our blood clotting process….by reducing platelet stickiness aspirin is able to reduce the likelihood of platelets clumping together in our blood vessels which are the prime cause of heart attacks and ischaemic strokes
This is unlikely as there are many more clotting mechanisms in our blood that aspirin doesn’t affect….aspirin does just enough to have a beneficial effect and no more
All drugs have side effects and of course aspirin is no exception, the most widely reported side effects are those related to the gastrointestinal tract and in some individuals aspirin can cause stomach bleeding and dyspepsia….it should also be used with caution in asthmatics as it could make this worse
If a patient has asthma and is sensitive to aspirin, no amount of changing the formulation or reducing the dose will effect the adverse reaction….however for people who have some stomach upset with regular aspirin there are soluble or coated formulations which can reduce the effects
Yes, aspirin isn’t recommended in children because of its association with a condition called Reye’s Syndrome…..although a link between aspirin and Reye’s Syndrome hasn’t been firmly established, many countries around the world do restrict its use to individuals over 12 or in some instances 16 years
It’s a very rare but serious illness which seems to occur mainly in children who are suffering a viral infection such as chicken pox….very rarely such children will develop serious brain and liver problems which can be fatal and this was first noticed in the 1960s in Australia by a physician called Reye…..over the last 30 years or so it has been found that some children who have developed the Syndrome have also taken aspirin and this has lead to the general worldwide warning about the use of aspirin in children
Many medicines are not suitable to take during pregnancy, although you may have heard that aspirin is sometimes recommended for some pregnant women who have a condition called pre-eclampsia…however in this situation it is always prescribed by a doctor and if you are pregnant you should always consult a doctor before taking aspirin
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