IS ASPIRIN, AS USED FOR ANTITHROMBOSIS, AN EMOTION-MODULATING AGENT

Antiplatelet substances, generally aspirin, have become widely used fo r secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease. Used in relatively s mall doses, it is generally assumed that aspirin has no psychoactive e ffect. The present study took advantage of a sample of 174 males under going coronary angiography to see if regular aspirin use as prophylact ic therapy for ischemic heart disease was associated with one or more of a number of measures of emotional distress. Aspirin use was found t o be associated with less depression and anxiety or worry, as reported by the patient and as perceived by a significant other. Despite a sig nificant association of aspirin use with the presence of documented co ronary artery disease, the association of aspirin use and diminished d istress could not be accounted for by the previously observed high pre valence of depressed/anxious individuals among patients with negative or nominal results on angiography, or by a number of other demographic or clinical variables such as age and socioeconomic status. Although only correlational in nature, present results raise the question of wh ether aspirin may have a beneficial mood-modulating effect.