Key TakeawaysThe SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus can cause blood platelets to clump, leading to potential blood clots that damage organs.Aspirin is known to thin the blood, helping to prevent blood clots in people who have cardiovascular disease.A new study shows that people hospitalized with COVID-19 benefitted from taking low-dose aspirin.

Key Takeaways

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus can cause blood platelets to clump, leading to potential blood clots that damage organs.Aspirin is known to thin the blood, helping to prevent blood clots in people who have cardiovascular disease.A new study shows that people hospitalized with COVID-19 benefitted from taking low-dose aspirin.

For people hospitalized because of COVID-19, low-dose aspirin may decrease the chance of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), being placed on a mechanical ventilator, or dying.

A study recently published in the journalAnesthesia & Analgesialooked back at the medical records of 412 people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. Of those 412 people, 314 did not take low-dose aspirin on a daily basis; 98 people had received low-dose aspirin within 24 hours of admission to the hospital or had taken low-dose aspirin within seven days prior to their admission. More than 50% of people who did not take low-dose aspirin were admitted to the ICU, compared with only 38.8% of the people who did take low-dose aspirin.

Of those admitted to the ICU, 48.4% of the people who did not take aspirin were put on mechanical ventilation to help them breathe, while only 35.7% of those who took aspirin needed to be put on a ventilator.

How Ventilators Work

“There was a significant increase in the use of endotracheal tubes in patients who were not on aspirin,” Jonathan Chow, MD, director, critical care medicine fellowship, assistant professor in the department of anesthesiology at University of Maryland School of Medicine, and lead author of the study tells Verywell. Whereas six patients who took aspirin had an endotracheal tube placed down their throat, 57 patients who did not take aspirin needed an endotracheal tube.

“The people we defined as having had taken aspirin [in our study] did so at home prior to hospitalization. They could have been taking aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease or perhaps to treat symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19), such as headache,” Chow says. “And some patients were given aspirin upon arrival to the emergency room [prior to being admitted to the hospital], because if they had symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, the protocol is to give an aspirin in case the patient is having a heart attack.”

Jonathan Chow, MDWe definitely need cautious optimism. While it’s great news that we were able to report the study results that we did, we need to wait for results of a randomized controlled trial.

Jonathan Chow, MD

We definitely need cautious optimism. While it’s great news that we were able to report the study results that we did, we need to wait for results of a randomized controlled trial.

How Aspirin May Help COVID-19 Patients

Aspirin has been used to help prevent blood clots because it inhibits cells in the bloodstream called platelets, which clump together to form clots in response to damage in a blood vessel.

“Not only is aspirin an anti-inflammatory agent, but as soon as it interacts with a platelet, it inactivates the platelet for the rest of its life. That’s how it’s a blood thinner,” Chow says. “And that is why we think that aspirin works so well in COVID-19 patients. We know they’re at risk of developing clots, leading to multi-organ failure.”

Common Blood Thinner Blocks COVID-19 As Effectively As Remdesivir, Study Shows

What This Means For YouWhether low-dose aspirin is helpful or harmful depends on who you are. If you are at risk of cardiovascular disease, it could be beneficial; but if you are at risk of ulcers and bleeding in your gastrointestinal tract, it could be harmful. And although low-dose aspirin was touted as a way to prevent colon cancer,a study published in Augustshowed that, in people older than 70 years, taking low-dose aspirin daily may increase the risk of cancer spreading.

What This Means For You

Whether low-dose aspirin is helpful or harmful depends on who you are. If you are at risk of cardiovascular disease, it could be beneficial; but if you are at risk of ulcers and bleeding in your gastrointestinal tract, it could be harmful. And although low-dose aspirin was touted as a way to prevent colon cancer,a study published in Augustshowed that, in people older than 70 years, taking low-dose aspirin daily may increase the risk of cancer spreading.

“As with any medication, there are always risks and benefits, such as bleeding or ulcers, Chow says. “We don’t want patients at home to just go start taking aspirin. The correct way to do this is for people to go to their doctor, so their doctor can look at their personal risks and benefits to see if aspirin might be recommended,” he says.

Instead of planning to rely on aspirin to reduce complications when you get sick with COVID-19, it is better to try to not get the virus in the first place. “It is always best to take primary prevention steps instead of trying to prevent complications,” Chow says. “Keep washing your hands, continue social distancing, and wear a mask.”

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chow J, Khanna A, Kethireddy S, et al.Aspirin use is associated with decreased mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Anesthesia & Analgesia.October 21, 2020. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Mechanical ventilation.Smith SC Jr, Benjamin EJ, Bonow RO, et al.AHA/ACCF secondary prevention and risk reduction therapy for patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease: 2011 update: a guideline from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation.Circulation2011; 124:2458. doi:10.1161/CIR.0b013e318235eb4dO’Brien CW, Juraschek SP, Wee CC.Prevalence of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the United States: Results From the 2017 National Health Interview Survey.Ann Intern Med. July 23, 2019. doi:10.7326/M19-0953Klok FA, Kruip MJHA, van der Meer NJM, et al.Incidence of thrombotic complications in critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19.Thrombosis Research. 2020;191:145-147. doi:10.1016/j.thromres.2020.04.013McNeil JJ, Gibbs P, Orchard SG, et al.Effect of aspirin on cancer incidence and mortality in older adults.J Natl Cancer Inst.August 2020. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa114

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chow J, Khanna A, Kethireddy S, et al.Aspirin use is associated with decreased mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Anesthesia & Analgesia.October 21, 2020. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Mechanical ventilation.Smith SC Jr, Benjamin EJ, Bonow RO, et al.AHA/ACCF secondary prevention and risk reduction therapy for patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease: 2011 update: a guideline from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation.Circulation2011; 124:2458. doi:10.1161/CIR.0b013e318235eb4dO’Brien CW, Juraschek SP, Wee CC.Prevalence of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the United States: Results From the 2017 National Health Interview Survey.Ann Intern Med. July 23, 2019. doi:10.7326/M19-0953Klok FA, Kruip MJHA, van der Meer NJM, et al.Incidence of thrombotic complications in critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19.Thrombosis Research. 2020;191:145-147. doi:10.1016/j.thromres.2020.04.013McNeil JJ, Gibbs P, Orchard SG, et al.Effect of aspirin on cancer incidence and mortality in older adults.J Natl Cancer Inst.August 2020. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa114

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Chow J, Khanna A, Kethireddy S, et al.Aspirin use is associated with decreased mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Anesthesia & Analgesia.October 21, 2020. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Mechanical ventilation.Smith SC Jr, Benjamin EJ, Bonow RO, et al.AHA/ACCF secondary prevention and risk reduction therapy for patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease: 2011 update: a guideline from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation.Circulation2011; 124:2458. doi:10.1161/CIR.0b013e318235eb4dO’Brien CW, Juraschek SP, Wee CC.Prevalence of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the United States: Results From the 2017 National Health Interview Survey.Ann Intern Med. July 23, 2019. doi:10.7326/M19-0953Klok FA, Kruip MJHA, van der Meer NJM, et al.Incidence of thrombotic complications in critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19.Thrombosis Research. 2020;191:145-147. doi:10.1016/j.thromres.2020.04.013McNeil JJ, Gibbs P, Orchard SG, et al.Effect of aspirin on cancer incidence and mortality in older adults.J Natl Cancer Inst.August 2020. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa114

Chow J, Khanna A, Kethireddy S, et al.Aspirin use is associated with decreased mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Anesthesia & Analgesia.October 21, 2020. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Mechanical ventilation.

Smith SC Jr, Benjamin EJ, Bonow RO, et al.AHA/ACCF secondary prevention and risk reduction therapy for patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease: 2011 update: a guideline from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation.Circulation2011; 124:2458. doi:10.1161/CIR.0b013e318235eb4d

O’Brien CW, Juraschek SP, Wee CC.Prevalence of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the United States: Results From the 2017 National Health Interview Survey.Ann Intern Med. July 23, 2019. doi:10.7326/M19-0953

Klok FA, Kruip MJHA, van der Meer NJM, et al.Incidence of thrombotic complications in critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19.Thrombosis Research. 2020;191:145-147. doi:10.1016/j.thromres.2020.04.013

McNeil JJ, Gibbs P, Orchard SG, et al.Effect of aspirin on cancer incidence and mortality in older adults.J Natl Cancer Inst.August 2020. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa114

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