Stopping low‑dose aspirin in older adults with Alzheimer's or related dementias
Health Outcomes of Discontinuing Aspirin in Older Adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
This project looks at what happens when older adults with Alzheimer's or related dementias stop taking low‑dose aspirin used to prevent heart problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261195 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has Alzheimer's or a related dementia and takes daily low‑dose aspirin, researchers will use medical records and health data to find people who stop aspirin and those who continue it. They will follow these groups over time and record heart attacks, strokes, bleeding events, emergency visits, hospital admissions, and changes in thinking and daily abilities. The team will compare outcomes between people who discontinue aspirin and those who remain on it to learn about short‑ and long‑term risks and benefits. The results aim to help patients, caregivers, and clinicians make clearer choices about stopping aspirin.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Older adults with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who are currently taking daily low‑dose aspirin for heart disease prevention and who receive care within participating health systems are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not take aspirin, who do not have dementia, or who need aspirin for recent high‑risk heart conditions (for example a recent stent or heart attack) are unlikely to benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could give patients and caregivers clearer, evidence‑based guidance about whether stopping low‑dose aspirin is safer or riskier for people with dementia.
How similar studies have performed: Large randomized trials of aspirin generally excluded people with dementia and observational evidence is limited, so this specific question remains relatively new and not well tested.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thorpe, Carolyn Timberlake — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Thorpe, Carolyn Timberlake
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.