BREAKING! University Of Maryland Study Shows That Aspirin Use Reduces Risk Of Both Mortality And Mechanical Ventilation In Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

Aspirin-COVID-19: A new study led by researchers from University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) shows that hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were taking a daily low-dose aspirin to protect against cardiovascular disease had a significantly lower risk of complications and death compared to those who were not taking aspirin.


 
Importantly, aspirin takers were less likely to be placed in the intensive care unit (ICU) or hooked up to a mechanical ventilator, and they were more likely to survive the infection compared to hospitalized patients who were not taking aspirin.
 
The retrospective, observational cohort study of adult patients admitted with COVID-19 to multiple hospitals in the United States between March 2020 and July 2020 was performed. The primary outcome was the need for mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. Adjusted hazard ratios for study outcomes were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models after adjustment for the effects of demographics and co-morbid conditions. Four hundred twelve patients were included in the study.
 
The positive and optimistic study results are a relief to many clinicians as most other drugs seem to be failing to help in treating COVID-19. Though further detailed studies are warranted the news that aspirin helps in treating COVID-19 was welcome news among many.
 
The study results were published in the peer reviewed journal: Anesthesia and Analgesia. https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/Abstract/9000/Aspirin_Use_is_Associated_with_Decreased.95423.aspx
 
The research findings provide "cautious optimism," the researchers say, for an inexpensive, accessible medication with a well-known safety profile that could help prevent severe complications.
 
Thaialdn Medical News had also published an article about the possible use of aspirin in treating COVID-19 in mid May this year. https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-blood-clots-should-blood-thinners-be-used-as-adjuvant-treatment-for-covid-19
 
There were also other studies on the potential use of using aspirin to treat COVID-19 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-020-01365-1
 
https://www.iberoamericanjm.periodikos.com.br/journal/iberoamericanjm/article/doi/10.5281/zenodo.3970519
 
https://www.aspirin-foundation.com/forum/aspirin-and-covid-19/
 
However as usual some of the so called online fact checkers especially certain uneducated individuals from America, Italy and India. (It should be noted that fortunately these are the countries that are most badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic  and locals in these countries should take act ion into their own hands against such bogus  'fact checkers', media and journalists) started labeling the usage of aspirin as fake news despite not having any relevant qualifications or even supporting studies to say so themselves! This has happened on so many occasions with fact checkers employed even by facebook etc. https://thelogicalindian.com/fact-check/italy-covid-19-coronavirus-bacteria-aspirin-21655?infinitescroll=1
 
Study leader Dr Jonathan Chow, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at UMSOM told Thailand Medical News, "This is a critical finding that needs further randomized clinical trials. If our finding is confirmed, it would make aspirin the first widely available, over-the-counter medication to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients."
 
In order to conduct the study, Dr Chow and his colleagues which included researchers not just from University of Maryland but also from Wake Forest School of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine, Outcomes Research Consortium-Cleveland, Northeast Georgia Health System and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, culled through the medical records of 412 COVID-19 patients, age of 55 on average, who were hospitalized over the past few months due to complications of their infection.
 
These patients had been treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and three other hospitals along the East Coast. About a quarter of the patients were taking a daily low-dose aspirin (usually 81 milligrams) before they were admitted or right after admission to manage their cardiovascular disease.
 
Significantly, the study found 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 most importantly a 47 percent decrease in the risk of dying in the hospital compared to those who were not taking aspirin. The patients in the aspirin group did not experience a significant increase in adverse events such as major bleeding while hospitalized.
 
The detailed results of the four hundred twelve patients included in the study were as follows: Three hundred fourteen patients (76.3%) did not receive aspirin, while 98 patients (23.7%) received aspirin within 24 hours of admission or 7 days prior to admission. Aspirin use had a crude association with less mechanical ventilation (35.7% aspirin vs. 48.4% non-aspirin, p=0.03) and ICU admission (38.8% aspirin vs. 51.0% non-aspirin, p=0.04), but no crude association with in-hospital mortality (26.5% aspirin vs. 23.2% non-aspirin, p=0.51). After adjusting for 8 confounding variables, aspirin use was independently associated with decreased risk of mechanical ventilation (adjusted HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.37-0.85, p=0.007), ICU admission (adjusted HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.38-0.85, p=0.005), and in-hospital mortality (adjusted HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.31-0.90, p=0.02). There were no differences in major bleeding (p=0.69) or overt thrombosis (p=0.82) between aspirin users and non-aspirin users.
 
The study team controlled for several factors that may have played a role in a patient's prognosis including age, gender, body mass index, race, hypertension and diabetes. They also accounted for heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease and the use of beta blockers to control blood pressure.
 
It is already known that COVID-19 infections increase the risk of dangerous blood clots that can form in the heart, lungs, blood vessels and other organs. Complications from blood clots can, in rare cases, cause heart attacks, strokes and multiple organ failure as well as death.
 
Physicians often recommend a daily low-dose aspirin for patients who have previously had a heart attack or stroke caused by a blood clot to prevent future blood clots. Daily use, however, can increase the risk of major bleeding or peptic ulcer disease.
 
Dr Michael A. Mazzeffi, MD, Study Co-Author, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, UMSOM added, We believe that the blood thinning effects of aspirin provides benefits for COVID-19 patients by preventing microclot formation. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may want to consider taking a daily aspirin as long as they check with their doctor first."
 
He warned however that those at increased bleeding risk due to chronic kidney disease, for example, or because they regularly use certain medications, like steroids or blood thinners, may not be able to safely take aspirin.
 
Dr E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland-Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine concluded, "This study adds to the tremendous work our researchers are doing in the School of Medicine to help find new treatments against COVID-19 and save patients' lives. While confirmatory studies are needed to prove that aspirin use leads to better outcomes in COVID-19, the evidence thus far suggests that patients may want to discuss with their doctor whether it is safe for them to take aspirin to manage potentially prevent serious complications."
 
Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a medication typically used to reduce pain, fever, or inflammation. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat include Kawasaki disease, pericarditis, and rheumatic fever. Aspirin given shortly after a heart attack decreases the risk of death. It is also a blood thinner and is extremely cheap and even available as an OTC drug in most countries.
 
However do not attempt to take aspirin without consulting a doctor and only the correct dosages should be taken as aspirin can cause internal bleeding which can be fatal.
 
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