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Bedtime
is the best time to take aspirin for people using the drug
to help control their high blood pressure, according to a
new study presented this week at the American Society of Hypertension
annual meeting in New York.
"Timed
administration of low-dose aspirin could be a valuable approach
not only for the prevention of major cardiovascular events,
but also for the control of blood pressure in patients with
mild to moderate essential hypertension," said Ramon
C. Hermida, director of bioengineering at the University of
Vigo in Spain.
Hermida
and his colleagues followed 109 mild hypertensives divided
into three groups: those who took aspirin upon awakening,
at bedtime or according to non-pharmacological hygienic-dietary
recommendations. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured
with an ambulatory device every 20-30 minutes over a 48-hour
period both before and after three months of intervention.
Upon the
study's conclusion, subjects who took aspirin at bedtime exhibited
a highly significant reduction in blood pressure when compared
with their cohorts.
"The
hypertensives who took aspirin at night on average decreased
their systolic blood pressure by 7.0 mm Hg, and diastolic
blood pressure by 4.8 mm Hg," said Hermida. "In
contrast, there was no effect on blood pressure when aspirin
was administered upon awakening."
The researchers
concluded that the timing of administration might account
for discrepancies in previous studies on the hypertensive
effects of aspirin. Moreover, they stressed the importance
of identifying patients taking aspirin and controlling for
the drug's effects in future anti-hypertension medical trials.
Source:
Hypertension
Week of May 19, 2002
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