New research in the New England Journal Of Medicine indicates good ol' aspirin may be better at helping people avoid strokes than one of the most commonly used anti-clotting drugs. The nationwide study shows aspirin is just as effective as the active ingredient (warfarin) in Coumadin at preventing narrowing of brain arteries. The report also suggests patients using warfarin had a higher death rate and more bleeding problems than those using aspirin. The study was conducted using patients who used anti-clotting medication and had already suffered a mini-stroke or stroke Each patient also had a condition known as symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis, caused by fat deposits restricting blood flow within artery walls. The condition causes approximately 10-percent of all strokes or mini-strokes in the U.S. every year |
