Seniors who take aspirin regularly are at risk of deadly internal bleeding

Aspirin needs to be combined with a heartburn medication to help avoid the side effect of increased risk of serious internal bleeding. Photo: AFP

Long-term, daily use of aspirin to prevent blood clots in very elderly patients leads to an increased risk of serious or fatal internal bleeding, researchers said recently.

Heartburn medication would allow people 75 years and older to keep the preventative benefits of aspirin while avoiding its dangerous side effects, they reported in the medical journal The Lancet.