Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are already taking a low-dose daily aspirin to protect against heart disease and stroke have a significantly lower risk of complications and death from Covid-19.
Yet another example of Doctors making a difference in Covid-19 cases rather than the Health authorities emerges. This time, a study led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine showed that Covid patients were significantly more likely to survive if already taking a small aspirin (81 mg) than this Covid patients hospitalized but not taking aspirin.
Existing daily aspirin takers were also less likely to need the intensive care unit or require a mechanical ventilator if they had Covid-19.
“This is a critical finding that needs to be confirmed through a randomized clinical trial” said Doctor Jonathan Chow, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology The University of Maryland Medical School.
The research (1) provides another potential weapon for reducing the already declining death rates in those infected. Low dose aspirin is a cheap and easily obtained medicine, which in Covid seems to reduce the risk of more severe complications and death. Since the start of Covid, patients have experienced greater risk of blood clots forming in the blood vessels, heart, lungs and other organs.
For this study, researchers analysed the medical records of 412 Covid patients, (average age 55) hospitalized due to infection complications. All were treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and three other hospitals along the East Coast. Researchers from the Wake Forest School of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine, Northeast Georgia Health System, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center were also involved in the study.
Approximately, one in four patients were already taking a low-dose aspirin daily, to help manage their cardiovascular disease. The study showed that aspirin use was associated with a 44 percent reduction in the risk of being put on a mechanical ventilator, a 43 percent decrease in the risk of ICU admission and an incredible 47 percent decrease in the risk of dying while in hospital compared to non-users. Various controls were put in place on the study so that it measured like for like conditions.
The researchers believe that the blood thinning properties of aspirin were the reason for the success. People on blood thinners and steroids already should consult their doctor before adding aspirin to their daily routines. Supplements such as fish oils, turmeric and echinacea also thin the blood.
Go to: The Hydroxychloroquine protocol
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Reference
- Aspirin Use is Associated with Decreased Mechanical Ventilation, ICU Admission, and In-Hospital Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 2020; Publish Ahead of Print DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292; Jonathan H. Chow, Ashish K. Khanna, Shravan Kethireddy, David Yamane, Andrea Levine, Amanda M. Jackson, Michael T. McCurdy, Ali Tabatabai, Gagan Kumar, Paul Park, Ivy Benjenk, Jay Menaker, Nayab Ahmed, Evan Glidewell, Elizabeth Presutto, Shannon Cain, Naeha Haridasa, Wesley Field, Jacob G. Fowler, Duy Trinh, Kathleen N. Johnson, Aman Kaur, Amanda Lee, Kyle Sebastian, Allison Ulrich, Salvador Peña, Ross Carpenter, Shruti Sudhakar, Pushpinder Uppal, Benjamin T. Fedeles, Aaron Sachs, Layth Dahbour, William Teeter, Kenichi Tanaka, Samuel M. Galvagno, Daniel L. Herr, Thomas M. Scalea, Michael A. Mazzeffi.
