Long term use of aspirin causes blindness

People who take aspirin for many years - heart patients, for example - are more likely to develop a certain kind of blindness, revealed scientists at the University of Sydney, Australia. The results were published Jan. 21 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.



The study followed 2,389 people aged 65 years on average. About one in ten of them used aspirin at least once a week. Patients underwent Ophthalmological tests every five, ten and 15 years. At the end of the study, the researchers concluded that 9.3% of patients who took aspirin developed the kind of wet age-related macular degeneration, versus a rate of 3.7% among patients who did not use medication. According to the authors, blindness was noted after 10 or 15 years, indicating continued use is relevant results.

The wet form of age-related macular degeneration is caused by blood vessel growth. This causes swelling and retinal bleeding. The process can happen very quickly, with age, smoking and family history of the main risk factors. Scientists could not say what changes would be needed in the intake of the drug to prevent blindness.

 Researchers have recognized, however, that for most patients there is "little evidence" to change the prescription of the drug. They also indicated that the drug be reassessed in high-risk patients such as those who already have the disease in one of his eyes.

Replace the painkillers to combat chronic pain
When pain persists, two cautions are key: get an expert to understand the origin of the problem and control the consumption of analgesics, avoiding dependence on this type of medication. "The specialized treatment for chronic pain and the changing habits help to ameliorate it," says anesthesiologist Fabiola Minson Peixoto, director of the Society for the Study of Pain (SBED).
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