Taking low-dose aspirin may reduce ICU admissions and hospital deaths of patients with COVID-19, according to a new study.
Researchers at George Washington University on Wednesday published their findings, which indicate the protective effects of lungs of over-the-counter affordable pills, in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Doctors were especially interested in studying the effects of aspirin in coronavirus patients, as it is one of the cheapest and most available drugs. Other medicines to treat COVID-19, such as remdesivir, can be prohibitively expensive.
COVID-19 has been associated with increased risk of blood clots for some patients – aspirin is a well-known anticoagulant and antiplatelet agent, which arouses the interest of researchers to further study the drug.
“Our hospitals were overwhelmed, patients were dying at an alarmingly high rate and I was sleeping in my office so we could provide 24-hour care to our patients with ICU COVID at night,” said the author of the study, Dr. Jonathan Chow on CBS News on Friday. “Uncertainty scared us of what might come next. Despite that, we knew we had to look at science and data to see what therapeutics were available to give hope to these patients.”
However, its effects on ventilation, ICU admission, and mortality rates have not been studied, the researchers said.
“As we learned about the connection between blood clots and COVID-19, we knew that aspirin (which is used to prevent stroke and heart attack) could be important for patients with COVID- 19 “Chow said in a statement. “Our research found an association between low doses of aspirin and decreased severity of COVID-19 and death.”
The researchers studied more than 400 patients admitted from March to July 2020 to hospitals across the country, including GW Hospital, the University of Maryland Medical Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the Wake Forest Health System. Northeast Georgia.
They found that aspirin use led to a 44% reduction in ventilator use, a 43% reduction in ICU admission, and a 47% reduction in hospital mortality.
“COVID-19 has been shown to cause excess platelets throughout the body, leading to the formation of clots in the lungs and larger clots in the main blood vessels. Aspirin is an inhibitor of COX-1 that decreases platelet aggregation and thrombus Acts rapidly between 30 minutes and 3 hours, and then inactivates platelets for the life of platelets, ”Chow told CBS News. “We believe it is through the antiplatelet properties of aspirin that led to the association with improved outcomes, such as the reduced risk of ICU admission and death that we observed in our study.”
Chow said he hopes the findings will lead to more research, specifically randomized controlled trials, into the possible connection between aspirin use and the reduction of lung injury in coronavirus patients, now that some hospitals are not so overwhelmed as they were at the beginning of the pandemic.
“Aspirin is low-cost, easily accessible and millions already use it to treat their health conditions,” Chow said. “Finding this partnership is a great victory for those looking to reduce the risk of some of the most devastating effects of COVID-19.”
So patients with COVID-19 should run to the pharmacy? Not too fast.
“I would advise all patients with COVID-19 to consult their primary care physician to properly weigh the risks and benefits. Because aspirin is an anticoagulant, the main risk is internal bleeding,” Chow said. “While it doesn’t replace vaccines or masks, the association we’ve found with aspirin is a big win for those looking to reduce the risk of some of the most devastating effects of COVID-19.”