People hospitalized with the virus have a higher survival rate if they are already taking a daily low dose of the drug.
Aspirin has a long history. Its roots go back about 2,000 years when the bark of the willow tree, from which it is derived, was chewed on in Chinese and Greek civilizations as a form of pain relief. It wasn’t until the late 1890s that the German chemist Felix Hoffman altered the structure of the salicylic acid in the tree’s bark through a process called acetylation, however, to come up with what we have today. (Salicylic acid is the active ingredient in Aspirin, and it can cause nausea in some patients).
Hoffman coined the term ‘Aspirin’, using the ‘A’ from acetyl, and ‘Spirea’ from a type of shrub that also contains salicylic acid. Today, Aspirin is used to relieve headaches and bodily pains. It is also a preventive medicine. And now it also has a new role: that of saving the lives of patients with COVID-19.
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This isn’t the first time the small pill has done big things. Aspirin used to be recommended more widely to reduce the chances of having a heart attack or stroke. It has also been used to prevent the development of certain cancers. The medication isn’t without its drawbacks, however. It is known to cause gastrointestinal bleeding. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends that only adults between the ages of 50 and 59 years old who have a 10% or greater 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease take aspirin daily. And this is also only if you have no bleeding risks, and you are committed to taking the medication every day for a minimum of ten years.
The Magic of a Low Daily Dose
So, how is aspirin working to fight COVID-19? Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine made the discovery by going through hundreds of medical records. They noticed that patients who were being hospitalized with serious cases of the virus and who happened to already be taking a low daily dose of aspirin to protect themselves against cardiovascular disease had considerably fewer complications.
About 47% fewer of these patients died from COVID-19, and 44% fewer were placed on ventilators.
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People taking aspirin regularly were also 43% less likely to need a visit to the intensive care unit (ICU). This was compared with other people in the same shoes but who were not taking aspirin daily.
“This is a critical finding that needs to be confirmed through a randomized clinical trial,” said the study’s lead author, Jonathan Chow, MD, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at UMSOM. “If our finding is confirmed, it would make aspirin the first widely available, over-the-counter medication to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients.”
Unsafe for Some
The study’s co-author Michael A. Mazzeffi, MD said he believes it’s aspirin’s ability to thin our blood that gives it the upper hand against COVID-19. This prevents microclots from forming.
“Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may want to consider taking a daily aspirin as long as they check with their doctor first,” Mazzeffi said.
People with some conditions like chronic kidney disease, or who are on other medications, might find it unsafe to do this, however he noted. Because of this, it is always important to check with your doctor before starting an aspirin regime.
Of course, further studies are needed to confirm the benefits of taking aspirin when it comes to COVID-19 but these initial findings are looking promising.
For more on aspirin’s long history and development, click here.
photo credits: LumineImages/Shutterstock.com
