People with Lp(a) gene variant may benefit from daily aspirin
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- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
An inexpensive blood test may help clarify who might benefit from a daily low-dose aspirin, suggests a new review of study findings.
Aspirin is no longer advisable for preventing a first heart attack because the benefits (fewer heart attacks) are offset by the risks (more cases of serious gastrointestinal bleeding). But people with a genetic variant that causes high levels of Lp(a) — a fatty particle similar to LDL cholesterol — have a much higher risk of heart disease than people without the variant. When people with the variant take low-dose daily aspirin, however, their risk of heart attacks and related problems drops down to the level of people without the variant, according to three clinical studies involving a total of nearly 45,000 people. The so-called genetic aspirin test, which identifies the Lp(a) variant, is commercially available for between $25 and $50. This one-time test could be a helpful tool for guiding low-dose aspirin use, says the authors. Their review appeared in the June 2025 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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