CHICAGO, Dec 21, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Chicago
researchers say women with diabetes are not using aspirin, an effective measure
against heart attacks, as much as they should.
Researchers at Northwestern University said among diabetic adults without
diagnosed cardiovascular disease, 42 percent of men and 34 percent of women used
aspirin regularly.
Their work is summarized in the latest edition of the Archives of Internal
Medicine.
There are several possible explanations for low use of aspirin among women,
the researchers said. Physicians may not counsel women with diabetes to use
aspirin if the physicians underestimate the women's risk for cardiovascular
disease events.
"However, even though women are at lower risk of new-onset cardiovascular
disease than men, diabetes greatly reduces this female advantage," one
investigator said.
