Hi tulkas,
Thank you for your question.
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"Answers and comments provided on Google Answers are general
information, and are not intended to substitute for informed
professional medical advice." Please contact your health care
provider for specifics regarding your health.
With that said, aspirin is indicated as a *preventative* measure in
order to provide a constant supply of blood (which supplies oxygen) to
the heart and brain for normal function. The heart and brain are
dependent on a constant flow of blood.
Aspirin is a blood thinner and has the effect of an anticoagulant
which means it prevents blood from forming clots by inhibiting
platelet collection.
Aspirin is being recommended in hopes that it can prevent these clots
from forming and minimize the risk of stroke.
'An Aspirin a Day' -- Just Another Cliché?
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/299_asp.html
"Scientists believe that aspirin's ability to reduce the body's
production of hormone-like "prostaglandins" is the reason for both its
effectiveness in relieving pain and reducing inflammation and its
protective effects against heart attacks and strokes. Prostaglandins,
it seems, can cause platelets in the blood to stick together, which
can eventually lead to blocked blood vessels and can prevent delivery
of oxygen-rich blood to the tissues.
"When a clot forms in the brain, it can cause a stroke, and in the
heart, a heart attack," explains George Sopko, M.D., the head of the
Interventional Cardiology Scientific Research Group at the National
Institutes of Health. Reduce the prostaglandins, and you reduce the
risk of dangerous blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes."
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http://www.carolinas.org/services/brainspine/Stroke/faq.cfm
What is a stroke?
"Stroke is the loss or alteration of bodily function that results from
an insufficient supply of blood to the brain. It can occur when a
blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts or is
blocked by a blood clot or another particle. This results in
obstructed blood flow to the brain. Without oxygen, nerve cells in the
affected area of the brain can not function and die within minutes."
[edit]
Does aspirin help?
"Researchers have found great benefits from aspirin. The American
Academy of Neurology recently released results from a study indicating
that taking aspirin within 48 hours of stroke can reduce death rates
and negative side effects of stroke. Research has also shown that
aspirin may help protect people from stroke. People are strongly
encouraged to talk to their physician before beginning aspirin therapy
- aspirin may also increase the risk of another type of stroke
(hemorrhagic) caused by bleeding in and around the brain. (Heart
Center Online)."
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What is a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)?
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068981/
"A (TIA) is a set of symptoms which last a short time, and is due to a
temporary lack of blood to part of the brain. It is sometimes called a
'mini stroke'. However, unlike a stroke, the symptoms are transient
and soon go.
(Ischaemic means a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to a part of the body.)
What is the cause of a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)?
A TIA is usually caused by a tiny blood clot that becomes stuck in a
small blood vessel (artery) in the brain. This blocks the blood flow,
and a part of the brain is starved of oxygen. The affected part of the
brain is without oxygen for just a few minutes, and soon recovers.
This is because the blood clot either breaks up quickly, or nearby
blood vessels are able to compensate."
[edit]
Medication - Aspirin
"Aspirin reduces the 'stickiness' of platelets, which reduces the
chance of a blood clot forming. The risk of a stroke after a TIA is
cut by about a quarter if you take a daily dose of aspirin. This means
that about 1 in 4 strokes that would have occurred without aspirin
treatment are prevented. The risk of a heart attack is also reduced.
The usual dose is 75 mg daily."
=================================================
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
Request for Answer Clarification by
tulkas-ga
on
17 Sep 2004 05:01 PDT
All well and good, but what I would really like to know is whether or
not aspirin, apart from any preventative affects (which can be
garnered readily from various and sundry websites; not least of which
www.aspirin.com), has any direct affects on the amount of oxygen
delivered to the brain?
In other words: if one does not have any medical maladies and is the
picture of health, would taking aspirin affect that one?s supply of
oxygen in the brain in a positive manner? Or to ask the same thing in
a different manner: does the thinning of one?s blood cause more
hemoglobin to arrive in one?s brain? Or again; is there any property
contained in aspirin that provides, upon its being ingested, more
oxygen in one?s brain?
Maybe your answer?s focus on preventative affects as opposed to
eventuated affects is a result of there being none (apart from the
obvious use as a fever reducer and pain reliever).
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