Questioning Medicine

https://www.jthjournal.org/article/S1538-7836(25)00109-6/fulltextAntithrombotic agents, like aspirin and anticoagulants, are essential for treating many cardiovascular conditions. However, a common side effect is bleeding, with extracranial bleeding—bleeding outside the brain and spinal cord—being quite prevalent. This study, a secondary analysis of the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly, or ASPREE trial, aimed to explore how clinically significant extracranial bleeding affects the development of functional disability in otherwise healthy older adults.What did the researchers find?Summary of Findings: Incidence of Bleeding: Out of nearly 19,000 participants, about 2.9%, or 547 individuals, experienced clinically significant extracranial bleeding. Functional Independence Impact: Those who experienced such bleeding had a more than two-fold increase in the risk of developing dependence on activities of daily living, or ADLs. Specifically, the hazard ratio for ADL dependence was 2.46, indicating a signif