The research study 'Aspirin after hospitalisation with Pneumonia to prevent cardiovascular Events randomised Controlled Trial' (ASPECT) led by the University of Bristol, sponsored by North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and supported by the Bristol Trials Centre, has been awarded funding of over £2.3 million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The randomised controlled trial will recruit 22,600 patients from over 60 hospitals across England. Findings from the four-year study will support future treatment guidelines, if appropriate, for patients with pneumonia. If aspirin is shown to be effective it could prevent up to 3,000 heart attacks and strokes a year in England alone.
Adults over 50 years of age admitted to hospital with pneumonia will be invited to take part in the trial. Those who agree will be split into two groups. Every person joining the study will have an equal chance of being in either group, so both groups will be made up of similar people.
One group will be prescribed a three-month course of low-dose aspirin, the other group will not. In all other respects, both groups will receive the standard pneumonia treatment. Participants will be followed up after three months.
The researchers will assess the participants recovery, specifically whether they have had a heart attack or stroke, or any serious side effects from the aspirin. This will be done by reviewing the 'usual care' health records of participants held by NHS hospitals.