Aspirin use and risk of stroke in the elderly: The Rotterdam Study

The objective of the study was to assess the. association between aspirin u se and the risk of stroke in a population-based study in the elderly. The s tudy was carried out within the framework of the Rotterdam Study, a prospec tive population-based cohort study. In the total study population there was a weak, nonsignificant association. between aspirin use and the risk of st roke (adjusted relative risk 1.29, 95% CI 0.91-1.83). Stratification by his tory of vascular diseases revealed that aspirin considerably increased the ri sk of first-ever stroke in subjects free from vascular disease (adjusted relative risk 7.80; 95% CI 1.03-3.13). In persons with vascular disease, n o association was observed between aspirin use and risk of stroke (adjusted relative risk 0.99, 95% CI 0.56-1.73). Our findings suggest that aspirin u se may increase the risk of stroke in elderly subjects free from vascular d isease. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.