# Aspirin-induced hematomas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940 "2007-05-21T16:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/1 "2007-05-21T16:24:04Z")
I take a baby aspirin daily, and an MD told me my hematomas are caused by aspirin. Anyone else have an opinion? They occur randomly, it seems, and only on the the back of my hand in the fleshy portion between the forefinger and thumb. These hematomas stay for a few days and then disappear. I have no other symptoms and am not alarmed, just curious. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/2 "2007-05-21T16:25:43Z")
Any data to back up your MD’s opinion (coag profile)? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/3 "2007-05-21T16:28:48Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Any data to back up your MD’s opinion (coag profile)? [/QUOTE] No. I don’t have a heart problem, or anything else (I know of) that would necessitate a coag profile. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/4 "2007-05-21T16:29:52Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] No. I don’t have a heart problem, or anything else (I know of) that would necessitate a coag profile. [/QUOTE] Unexplained bleeding is a reason for a coagulation profile. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/5 "2007-05-21T16:52:53Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Unexplained bleeding is a reason for a coagulation profile. [/QUOTE] Unexplained bleeding off aspirin certainly is. A coag panel will be normal for someone on aspirin anyway, unless one does a bleeding time (which isn’t done much anymore). I’d vote to stop the aspirin (absent other significant history) and if the bruising continues, consider workup then. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/6 "2007-05-21T17:52:16Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Unexplained bleeding off aspirin certainly is. A coag panel will be normal for someone on aspirin anyway, unless one does a bleeding time (which isn’t done much anymore). I’d vote to stop the aspirin (absent other significant history) and if the bruising continues, consider workup then. [/QUOTE] I take the baby aspirin to prevent heart attacks - but not on a Doctor’s advice. Just from the anecdotal crap I’ve read. Zo… So, I’ll take \*your \* suggestion. to stop the aspirin and see a doctor if the hematomas continue. Thanks very much for your response. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/7 "2007-05-21T18:00:02Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] I take the baby aspirin to prevent heart attacks - but not on a Doctor’s advice. Just from the anecdotal crap I’ve read. Zo… So, I’ll take \*your \* suggestion. to stop the aspirin and see a doctor if the hematomas continue. Thanks very much for your response. [/QUOTE] That’s what I’d suggest for a patient of mine whom I knew and had examined. So please don’t construe it as specific advice for you. But unless one has been diagnosed with a specific disorder where aspirin is critical for its treatment, going off aspirin seldom poses a risk. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/8 "2007-05-21T18:14:02Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] That’s what I’d suggest for a patient of mine whom I knew and had examined. So please don’t construe it as specific advice for you. \*\*Thanks very much. I understand and would never construe what you recommended for a patient of yours as specific advice for me. \*\* But unless one has been diagnosed with a specific disorder where aspirin is critical for its treatment, going off aspirin seldom poses a risk. [/QUOTE] So, I’ll kick the aspirin and will bring the matter up with my GP the next time I see him. On another subject… I have tinnitus that comes and goes. A few months back when I was taking piano lessons, I began to notice that even just after, say, a half hour of practice (or maybe even much sooner), my ears would start to ring. So I quit the piano. If I went back (and to hell with the tinnitus), would I risk further damage? (I tried wearing ear plugs, for awhile but it seemed oxymoronic, somehow. 😃😃 :D) Again, I would never construe what you recommended for a patient of yours as specific advice for me. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/9 "2007-05-21T18:30:19Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] A coag panel will be normal for someone on aspirin anyway, unless one does a bleeding time (which isn’t done much anymore). [/QUOTE] A buccal mucosal bleeding time is still commonly done is veterinary medicine. What location is used in humans? > **[Evaluation of the buccal bleeding time and platelet glass bead retention as...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2053106/?dopt=Abstract)** > > The study evaluated two hemostatic assays in the dog, a modified version of the buccal mucosal bleeding time (BMBT) and the platelet glass bead retention (PR), to describe the aspects of hemostasis measured by these assays. Von Willebrand factor... ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/10 "2007-05-21T18:41:46Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] A buccal mucosal bleeding time is still commonly done is veterinary medicine. What location is used in humans? [/QUOTE] The test used is the [platelet function closure time](http://www.fpnotebook.com/HEM106.htm) which replaced the old “bleeding time” test, and which frankly I’ve rarely ordered. It will be abnormal in someone on aspirin, so if one wants to see if there’s anything beyond aspirin-related coag problems, one needs to go off aspirin (for a few weeks at least) before having the test done. It’s not that helpful. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/11 "2007-05-21T21:03:15Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] I take a baby aspirin daily, and an MD told me my hematomas are caused by aspirin. Anyone else have an opinion? They occur randomly, it seems, and only on the the back of my hand in the fleshy portion between the forefinger and thumb. These hematomas stay for a few days and then disappear. I have no other symptoms and am not alarmed, just curious. [/QUOTE] 😕 Then way are you continuing to use aspirin? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/12 "2007-05-21T21:12:00Z")
[QUOTE=ouryL] 😕 Then way are you continuing to use aspirin? [/QUOTE] One baby aspirin a day is supposed to reduce your chance of a heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/13 "2007-05-21T22:52:29Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] One baby aspirin a day is supposed to reduce your chance of a heart attack. [/QUOTE] Aspirin is a great med. For the right person. > [@](#): > > aspirin decreases the incidence of coronary heart disease in adults who are at increased risk for heart disease. They also found good evidence that aspirin increases the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding and fair evidence that aspirin increases the incidence of hemorrhagic strokes. The USPSTF concluded that the balance of benefits and harms is most favorable in patients at high risk of heart disease (5-year risk of greater than or equal to 3 percent) but is also influenced by patient preferences. [http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspsasmi.htm](http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspsasmi.htm) I put lots of people on aspirin. Diabetics, hypertensives, folks with significantly elevated cholesterol. In short, those folks who are at high risk for heart disease. Is aspirin best for you? Ask your doctor. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/14 "2007-05-21T23:23:00Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] I put lots of people on aspirin. Diabetics, hypertensives, folks with significantly elevated cholesterol. In short, those folks who are at high risk for heart disease. [/QUOTE] The generally headachy? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/15 "2007-05-22T00:45:52Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] The generally headachy? [/QUOTE] Not chronically placed on aspirin by me for headaches, no. Episodically aspirin is okay, but ibuprofen and Acetaminophen are a bit safer in my book. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspirin-induced-hematomas/404940/16 "2007-05-22T02:40:35Z")
Hey! What about the tinnitus? 😃😃😃 Should I resume my lessons?