A study of people taking regular, low doses of aspirin found that the aspirin users were 29% less likely than others to test positive for COVID-19, as well as being less prone to serious disease and its “long COVID” after-effects.

The new peer-reviewed study, published in The FEBS Journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, was led by an Israeli team associated with one of the country’s leading public health funds as well as a leading medical school and hospital.

Some of the same team members also were among the first to identify, last year, a link between low Vitamin D levels and higher COVID infection risks. 

In the observational study on aspirin and COVID, the team reviewed the medical records of 10,477 patients who had been tested for SARS-CoV2 infection between February and July of 2020. 

They identified a subgroup of over 2,000 patients who took 75 milligrams of aspirin regularly to prevent cardiovascular disease – and compared them with a similarly sized sample of people who didn’t regularly take aspirin doses – adjusting statistically for any differences in age and health status.  

Among people who had tested COVID-positive, the proportion of those regularly taking aspirin (or statins) was significantly lower, as compared to the group of people who tested COVID-19-negative group, the study, published in The FEBS Journal, of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.  

People who had purchased, prior to their COVID test, at least 3 prescriptions for aspirin and statins were also less likely to be COVID-infected than those who did not.   

Among those who tested COVID positive, the aspirin users were also likely to have a shorter illness — by about two days — as determined by the length of time between their first positive COVID test and a negative test.  And they were less likely to suffer from aftereffects of the coronavirus, in terms of chronic health issues identified in follow-up. 

 The focus of the study was on aspirin users at risk of cardiovascular disease – but not chronically ill. 

“This observation of the possible beneficial effect of low doses of aspirin on COVID-19 infection is preliminary but seems very promising,” lead author, Eli Magen, of Barzilai Hospital, was quoted as saying in an Israeli news outlet.

“We were really excited to see a big reduction in the proportion of people testing positive, and this gives a promising indication that aspirin, such a well-known and inexpensive drug, may be helpful in fighting the pandemic,” added Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern of Bar-Ilan University 

“This finding with regard to ‘long COVID,’ a phenomenon that is a real concern, is very important,” she added.   While the mechanism by which aspirin might reduce disease risks and seriousness would require further study, she speculated that it was associated with the medication’s anti-inflammatory qualities. 

In addition to reducing inflammation, other observational studies on aspirin have also suggested that the century old medication, originally derived from willow bark,  can help play a role in preventing infections from other single-strand RNA viruses, similar to the coronavirus, as well as in preventing some forms of cancer. 

Frenkel-Morgenstern, the corresponding author on the aspirin study, also set a precedent in her observational study last year that found an association between low levels of Vitamin D and increased risk of COVID infection.  

Image Credits: University Health News .