The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated and changed its recommendation on low-dose aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). The USPSTF now recommends against initiating low-dose aspirin use for the primary prevention of CVD in adults 60 years or older.
The decision to initiate low-dose aspirin use for the primary prevention of CVD in adults ages 40 to 59 years who have a 10% or greater 10-year CVD risk should be an individual one. Evidence indicates that the net benefit of aspirin use in this group is small.
Those who are not at increased risk for bleeding and are willing to take low-dose aspirin daily are more likely to benefit. The USPSTF also has concluded the evidence is unclear whether aspirin use reduces the risk of colorectal cancer incidence or death.
The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services and this recommendation replaces the 2016 USPSTF recommendation on aspirin use to prevent CVD and colorectal cancer.
