Low-dose aspirin offers adults inflammation protection

AORN Journal,  Feb, 2005  

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Researchers have demonstrated in a randomized clinical trial that Low-dose aspirin (ie, 81 mg) triggers the human body to generate its own anti-inflammatory compounds that help fight unwanted inflammation, according to a Oct 11, 2004, news release from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Boston. The finding has implications for people with heart disease, arthritis, and many other diseases that are known to be associated with inflammation. The study demonstrated that unlike COX-2 inhibitors, aspirin--a COX-1 inhibitor--also generates "good" anti-inflammatory compounds necessary to fight disease.

The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial in which 128 healthy adults were given a placebo or a tow (ie, 81-mg), medium (ie, 325-mg), or high (ie, 650-mg) dose of aspirin for eight weeks. When researchers measured levels of anti-inflammatory 15-epi-lipoxin A4 (ATL)--a known anti-inflammatory compound--they found that ATL revels significantly increased in the low-dose group. As a result, physicians could monitor an individual's ATL to determine the potential beneficial impact of low-dose aspirin and its anti-inflammatory properties.

Low-dose Aspirin Proven to Offer Healthy Adults Inflammation Protection (news release, Boston: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Oct 11, 2004) http://www .brighamandwomens.org/publicaffairs/Newsreleases/low_ dose_aspirin_10_11_03.asp (accessed 4 Nov 2004).

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