Heart Health
Heart attacks can occur without warning. While chest pain is the most common symptom, signs can vary from person to person. Decades of scientific research show that the risk of these life-threatening events can be reduced.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, with overwhelming health statistics:
- CVDs account for approximately 32% of all deaths. Of these, 85% are due to heart attacks and strokes. ¹
- Globally, an estimated 1 in 12 people are living with cardiovascular disease. ²
- 1 in 5 people will have a second heart attack within five years, and nearly 1 in 4 stroke survivors will experience another stroke. ³⁴
Given these alarming statistics, it is important to detect cardiovascular disease as early as possible to enable timely management with counselling and trusted medicines.
How does Bayer help to prevent heart attacks?
Clinical research has shown that many heart attacks and ischemic strokes (the most common stroke type, caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain) can be prevented. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is widely recognized as the gold standard for helping prevent these cardiovascular events.
Bayer invented acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in Aspirin™, more than 125 years ago. Since then, healthcare professionals and clinical studies have consistently confirmed its lifesaving benefits. ⁵
Usage guidelines for Aspirin™ differ by country. In more than 50 countries, low-dose Aspirin™ is approved for primary prevention in appropriate patients, helping reduce the risk of a first cardiovascular event. Low-dose Aspirin™ is also an established standard of care approved by regulatory authorities around the world for secondary prevention, including in the United States, helping prevent recurrent heart attacks and ischemic strokes. Aspirin™ is not appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to a doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.
If a heart attack is suspected, immediately call emergency services and chew or crush and swallow Aspirin™, as directed by a doctor.
A Remarkable Scientific Legacy
Since Bayer chemist Dr. Felix Hoffmann first synthesized acetylsalicylic acid in 1897, Aspirin™ has become one of the world’s most researched medicines, with hundreds of clinical trials conducted over many decades and thousands of research papers published on its effects globally each year. Aspirin™ is also featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and the World Health Organization lists acetylsalicylic acid as an essential medicine.
What made Aspirin™ special wasn’t just what it did, but how it was delivered. No messy powders, just a tablet to swallow that could be safely administered at the right dosage. Today, Aspirin™ is available in more than 140 countries, including products such as Aspirin™ Cardio, Aspirin™ Complex, and Aspirin™ Plus C. Across the world, patients and healthcare professionals, including cardiologists, continue to turn to the proven science of Aspirin™ for heart health.
This site is intended for an international audience. Not all products discussed may be available in your country. Local prescribing information and approved indications may differ from country to country.
Source:
¹ https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
² https://www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/for-professionals/research/heart-statistics/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet-jan26.pdf
³ ZIPDO EDUCATION REPORT 2025 - Second Heart Attack Statistics
⁴ https://www.stroke.org/en/life-after-stroke/preventing-another-stroke
⁵ https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/infographics/a-history-of-aspirin
