ISRCTN ISRCTN83772183
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN83772183
ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01038583
Submission date
03/05/2005
Registration date
14/07/2005
Last edited
18/03/2025
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Circulatory System
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English Summary

Not provided at time of registration

Study website

Contact information

Prof John McNeil
Scientific

Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Monash University
Alfred Hospital
Commercial Rd
Melbourne
3004
Australia

Phone +61 (0)3 9903 0555
Email john.mcneil@monash.edu

Study information

Study designRandomized controlled trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designRandomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)GP practice
Study typePrevention
Scientific titleASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly: a randomised controlled trial
Study acronymASPREE
Study hypothesisAdded 13/01/2017: Null hypothesis as of 2010:
Daily 100 mg enteric-coated aspirin will have no benefit over placebo in prolonging life, or life free of dementia or life free of significant physical disability in healthy participants aged 70 years and over.

Hypothesis amended as of 14/03/2008:
Null hypothesis: Low-dose aspirin does not prolong life free of mental or physical disability in those aged 70 years and over who has not manifested cardiovascular disease or dementia.

Provided at time of registration:
Null hypothesis: Low-dose aspirin has no overall benefit in those aged 70 years and over who do not have manifest cardiovascular disease or dementia.
Ethics approval(s)1. The Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners Ethics Committee, approved 2002, ref: NREEC 02/22b
2. Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee, approved 2006, ref: 2006/745MC
3. The Tasmanian Human Research Ethics Committee, approved 2006, ref: H0008933
4. The Goulburn Valley Health Ethics & Research Committee, Shepparton, approved 2007, ref: GVH-21/07
5. The ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee, Canberra, approved 2007, ref: 11/07.997
6. The University of Adelaide Human Research Ethics Committee, approved 2011, ref: H-250-2011
7. Numerous IRBs in the USA
ConditionMental and physical disability in the elderly
InterventionAcetylsalicylic acid 100 mg: enteric coated unscored white tablet
Placebo of acetylsalicylic acid: enteric coated unscored white tablet with identical appearance
Intervention typeDrug
Pharmaceutical study type(s)
PhaseNot Applicable
Drug / device / biological / vaccine name(s)Acetylsalicylic acid
Primary outcome measureAmended 02/03/2009:
1. Death from any cause
2. Incident dementia, defined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria
3. Persistent physical disability, defined as the onset of a lot of difficulty to inability to perform any one of 6 Katz Activities of Daily Living

Updated as of 14/03/2008:
1. Death from any cause
2. Death from incident dementia, defined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria
3. Death from persistent physical disability, defined as progression by at least 2 intervals on a 5-point scale of any one of the 6 Katz Activities of Daily Living

Provided at time of registration:
1. Coronary artery disease death
2. Cardiac failure death (with coronary cause), and other coronary death
3. Cardiac failure death - due to heart failure (prior grade III-IV dyspnea New York Heart Association [NYHA]), with any defined non-coronary cause
4. Other vascular death
5. Non-coronary cardiac death
6. Cerebrovascular disease death
7. Non-fatal cardiovascular events
8. Non-fatal cerebrovascular events
Secondary outcome measuresAdded 13/01/2017: Secondary outcome measures since 2009:
1. All-cause mortality
2. Fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events including a) coronary heart disease death, b) non-fatal MI, c) fatal and non-fatal stroke, and d) any hospitalization for heart failure
3. Fatal and non-fatal cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer
4. Dementia (added in 2013)
5. Mild cognitive impairment
6. Physical disability
7. Depression
8. Major hemorrhagic events

Secondary outcome measures updated as of 14/03/2008:
1. All-cause mortality
2. Fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events including:
2.1. Coronary heart disease death
2.3. Non-fatal myocardial infarction
2.3. Fatal and non-fatal stroke
2.4. Hospitalisation for heart failure
3. Fatal and non-fatal cancer, excluding non-melanomatous skin cancer
4. Dementia
5. Cognitive decline
6. Physical disability
7. Major haemorrhagic events

Secondary outcome measures provided at time of registration:
1. All-cause dementia – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria
2. Cognitive decline - defined as 2 point decline on 3MSE supplemented by a Color Trail test
3. Clinically significant bleeding including gastrointestinal hemorrhages or hemorrhages at other sites that required transfusion, hospitalization and or surgery

Current tertiary outcome measures as of 29/08/2018:
1. Cognitive function
2. Physical performance
3. Quality of life
4. Haemoglobin levels
5. Hospitalisations - total and for reasons other than endpoints
6. Urinary albumin:creatinine ratio

Original tertiary outcome measures:
1. Haemorrhagic stroke
2. Transient ischaemic attack
3. Hospitalisation for unstable angina
4. Total mortality
5. Cognitive decline
6. Depression score
7. Quality of life
8. Disability
9. A fall in haemoglobin
10. Fatal and non-fatal cancer
11. Total hospitalisations
12. Hospitalisation for reasons other than primary endpoints
13. Institutionalisation
14. Cost-effectiveness of aspirin
15. Public health outcomes
16. Development of a multivariate model which predicts in different age strata (70-79 and 80+ years) the likelihood of death, dementia, disability, and self-assessed quality of life
17. Risk-benefit trade-off associated with the use of aspirin in different categories
Overall study start date01/03/2003
Overall study end date31/12/2017

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Healthy volunteer
Age groupSenior
Lower age limit65 Years
SexBoth
Target number of participants19,000
Total final enrolment19114
Participant inclusion criteriaCurrent inclusion criteria as of 13/01/2017:
1. African American and Hispanic men and women 65 years of age and over (in the USA), all other men and women 70 years of age and over
2. Willing and able to provide informed consent, and willing to accept the study requirements

Previous inclusion criteria:
All subjects will be aged 70 years or more and capable of attending their usual family physician's clinic and providing informed consent
Participant exclusion criteriaCurrent exclusion criteria as of 13/01/2017:
1. A history of a diagnosed cardiovascular event defined as MI, congestive heart failure, angina pectoris (± nitrate use), stroke, transient ischemic attack, >50% carotid stenosis or previous carotid endarterectomy or stenting, coronary artery angioplasty or stenting, coronary artery bypass grafting, or abdominal aortic aneurysm
2. A clinical diagnosis of atrial fibrillation
3. A serious intercurrent illness likely to cause death within the next 5 years, such as terminal cancer or obstructive airways disease
4. A current or recurrent condition with a high risk of major bleeding, e.g. cerebral aneurysm or cerebral AV malformation, any bleeding diathesis, gastrointestinal malignancy, recent peptic ulcer, liver disease, esophageal varicosities, uremia, aortic aneurysm or any other condition known to be associated with a high risk of serious bleeding
5. Anemia, i.e. hemoglobin level below the normal value for the gender of the participant (males: <12 g/dL, females: <11 g/dL) (Note: Hemoglobin levels within the normal range in a participant taking therapy for anemia will not be an exclusion criterion).
6. Absolute contraindication or allergy to aspirin
7. Current participation in a clinical trial
8. Current continuous use of aspirin for secondary prevention
9. Current continuous use of other anti-platelet drug or anticoagulant
10. A systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg and / or a diastolic blood pressure ≥105 mmHg
11. A history of dementia or a Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) score  77 as measured at Visit 1: Lifestyle Profile and Screening
12. Severe difficulty or an inability to perform any one of the 6 Katz ADLs, as determined at Visit 1: Lifestyle Profile and Screening
13. Pill-taking compliance below 80% during the placebo run-in phase.

Previous exclusion criteria:
1. A history of cardiovascular morbidity defined as myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, angina, transient ischaemic attack, greater than 50% carotid stenosis or previous carotid endarterectomy or stenting, coronary artery angioplasty or stenting, or coronary artery bypass grafting
2. A serious intercurrent illness likely to cause death within the next 5 years
3. A current or recurrent condition with a high risk of major bleeding e.g. cerebral aneurysm or cerebral arteriovenous (AV) malformation, any bleeding diathesis, gastrointestinal malignancy, peptic ulcer, liver disease, uraemia, aortic aneurysm or any other condition known to be associated with a high risk of serious bleeding
4. Absolute contraindication or allergy to aspirin
5. Current participation in a clinical trial
6. Current continuous use of aspirin or other anti-platelet drug or anticoagulant
7. A history of diabetes or dementia
8. In addition those who lie outside of tolerance levels of 8-104% during placebo run-in phase will not be randomised

The following criteria were added as of 14/03/2008:
9. An inability to perform independently one of the 6 Katz Activities of Daily Living (walking, bathing, dressing, transferring from chair or bed, toileting, eating)
10. Pill taking compliance below 80% on tablet count during a placebo run-in phase

The following criterion was amended to the below text as of 20/02/2009:
7. A history of dementia
Recruitment start date31/03/2010
Recruitment end date31/12/2014

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Australia
  • United States of America

Study participating centres

Monash University
Melbourne
3004
Australia
Berman Center for Clinical Outcomes Research
Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation
Hennepin County Medical Center
Minneapolis
-
United States of America

Sponsor information

Monash University (Australia)
University/education

Research and Graduate Programs Office
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
PO Box 64
Victoria
3800
Australia

Phone +61 (0)3 9905 1206
Email robyn.woods@med.monash.edu.au
Website http://www.monash.edu.au/
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/02bfwt286

Funders

Funder type

Research council

National Health and Medical Research Council (ref: 334047)
Government organisation / National government
Alternative name(s)
NHMRC
Location
Australia
National Institute on Aging
Government organisation / National government
Alternative name(s)
U.S. National Institute on Aging, The National Institute on Aging, NIH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING, NIA
Location
United States of America
National Cancer Institute
Government organisation / National government
Alternative name(s)
Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, Instituto Nacional del Cáncer de los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud, NCI
Location
United States of America
Monash University
Government organisation / Universities (academic only)
Alternative name(s)
Monash Uni | Melbourne, Monash Uni, University of Monash, Universitas Monash, MU
Location
Australia
Victorian Cancer Agency
Government organisation / Local government
Alternative name(s)
Victorian Cancer Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, VCA
Location
Australia

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing planNot provided at time of registration

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Other publications rationale 01/07/2003 Yes No
Other publications design 01/11/2013 Yes No
Other publications rationale for ASPREE-D substudy 01/10/2016 Yes No
Other publications baseline characteristics 12/10/2017 Yes No
Other publications rationale for SNORE-ASA sub-study 01/01/2018 Yes No
Statistical Analysis Plan statistical analysis plan 01/04/2018 No No
Other publications development of a standardized definition for clinically significant bleeding 22/05/2018 03/07/2019 Yes No
Results article results 18/10/2018 03/07/2019 Yes No
Results article results 18/10/2018 03/07/2019 Yes No
Results article results 18/10/2018 03/07/2019 Yes No
Results article results 09/12/2019 10/12/2019 Yes No
Results article results 01/05/2019 01/04/2020 Yes No
Results article results 27/12/2019 02/04/2020 Yes No
Results article results 01/09/2020 04/08/2020 Yes No
Results article results 01/12/2020 03/11/2020 Yes No
Results article 01/08/2020 26/05/2021 Yes No
Results article 01/01/2021 29/06/2021 Yes No
Results article 01/06/2021 29/06/2021 Yes No
Results article 06/07/2021 29/06/2021 Yes No
Results article 01/03/2021 30/07/2021 Yes No
Results article 01/10/2020 01/09/2021 Yes No
Results article 26/02/2020 26/11/2021 Yes No
Results article 30/01/2023 31/01/2023 Yes No
Other publications Secondary analysis 03/07/2023 27/07/2023 Yes No
Other publications Secondary analysis 21/11/2023 27/11/2023 Yes No
Other publications Associations between low sex steroid concentrations and incidence of knee and hip replacement for osteoarthritis in community-dwelling older women 14/12/2024 19/12/2024 Yes No
Other publications Frailty incidence by diabetes treatment regimens 17/03/2025 18/03/2025 Yes No

Editorial Notes

18/03/2025: Publication reference added.
19/12/2024: Publication reference added.
27/11/2023: Publication reference added.
27/07/2023: Publication reference added.
31/01/2023: Publication reference added.
26/11/2021: Publication reference added.
01/09/2021: Publication reference added.
30/07/2021: Publication reference added.
29/06/2021: Publication references added.
26/05/2021: Publication reference added.
03/11/2020: Publication reference added.
04/08/2020: Publication reference added.
02/04/2020: Publication reference added.
01/04/2020: Publication reference added.
10/12/2019: Publication reference added.
03/07/2019: Publication references and enrolment added.
27/02/2019: Publication reference added.
31/08/2018: The following changes have been made:
1. The overall trial end date has been changed from 31/12/2015 to 31/12/2017.
2. The recruitment start date has been changed from 01/03/2003 to 31/03/2010.
3. The recruitment end date has been changed from 31/12/2015 to 31/12/2014.
29/08/2018: The tertiary outcome measures (listed in the secondary outcome measures field) have been changed.
28/08/2018: Associate Professor Robyn Woods of Monash University, Executive Director and Chief Investigator of ASPREE, has confirmed that the ISRCTN record for ASPREE will not be further updated by the investigators. Please check ClinicalTrials.gov for the most up-to-date version (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01038583 ).
23/08/2018: The following changes have been made:
1. The National Heart Foundation has been removed as a funder. It was not involved in funding the main ASPREE study, only a pilot trial.
2. Publication references added.
22/08/2018: Bayer AG (Australia) was removed as a funder. Bayer provided the study drug, but did not fund the trial. The National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, Monash University and the Victorian Cancer Agency have been added as funders.
20/07/2018: Publication reference added.
13/01/2017: USA was added to the countries of recruitment.
20/02/2009: The target number of participants was changed from 18,000 to 19,000.
14/03/2008: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The overall trial end date was changed from 30/06/2005 to 31/12/2015.
2. The target number of participants was changed from 20,500 to 18,000.