Low-dose aspirin cuts the risk of dementia by around 70% in older people with a certain genetic profile, a study from Monash University in Australia shows. But the same group also faces a higher risk of serious bleeding, the university said.
Scientists checked whether genes affect how well aspirin works against dementia. They looked at genetic data from more than 13,500 people who took part in the ASPREE trial (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly).
The effect showed up in the top 20% of participants for a genetic marker linked to platelet count. In that group, 1% of those taking aspirin developed dementia, against 3.3% of those on placebo.
Serious bleeding hit 4.4% of aspirin takers in the same group, against 2.1% on placebo.
Lead author Peter Franks, a researcher at Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said genetics can show who will actually benefit from preventive treatment, instead of giving everyone the same approach. The findings, he said, open the door to a more personal way of preventing dementia.
The researchers stressed that no one should start taking aspirin to prevent dementia because of this study without talking to their doctor first.
The finding needs to be confirmed by other studies and by a clinical trial designed specifically for people with this genetic profile, the authors say. The work was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.