Aspirin protects patients at high risk of heart attack or strokeJanuary 09, 2002Aspirin (or another antiplatelet drug) protects patients at high risk of serious vascular events, such as heart attack or stroke, and should be considered routinely for all such patients, concludes a study in this week's BMJ. Researchers reviewed 287 trials, involving over 200,000 patients, that compared an antiplatelet drug with a control or compared different antiplatelet drugs. They found that antiplatelet therapy reduced the risk of any serious vascular event by about one quarter; risk of non-fatal heart attack was reduced by one third, non-fatal stroke by one quarter, and vascular death by one sixth. Low dose aspirin (75-150mg daily) seemed to be as effective as higher doses for long term use. In each of these high risk categories, the benefits of antiplatelet therapy far outweighed any hazards, yet only about half (or less) of all patients with a history of heart attack, angina, or heart disease are currently receiving antiplatelet therapy, say the authors. These results clearly show that it should be considered routinely for all patients at high or intermediate risk of vascular disease, and it should be continued for as long as the risk remains high. In some clinical circumstances, adding a second antiplatelet drug to aspirin may produce additional benefits, but more research into this strategy is needed, they conclude. An editorial and debate article accompanies this study. British Medical Journal (BMJ) |
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| Related Aspirin Current Events and Aspirin News Articles Early end to key study on benefits of niacin, a B vitamin, in keeping arteries open was premature Heart experts at Johns Hopkins are calling premature the early halt of a study by researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center on the benefits of combining extended-release niacin, a B vitamin, with cholesterol-lowering statin medications to prevent blood vessel narrowing. Common Pain Relievers May Dilute Power of Flu Shots With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers - Advil, Tylenol, aspirin - at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system. News brief: Effects of aspirin and folic acid on inflammation markers for colorectal adenomas Unexpectedly, inflammation markers do not appear to be involved with the chemopreventative effect of aspirin on colorectal adenomas, according to a brief communication published online October 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Aspirin Misuse May Have Made 1918 Flu Pandemic Worse The devastation of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic is well known, but a new article suggests a surprising factor in the high death toll: the misuse of aspirin. Cogent trial shows lack of adverse interaction between clopidogrel and stomach medicine Results from a late breaking clinical trial called COGENT demonstrate that the combination of giving patients clopidogrel, a blood thinner commonly prescribed to patients with cardiovascular disease, and stomach medicines such as omeprazole, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), did not lead to adverse events, as some prior studies had suggested. Aspirin works for primary prevention in moderate and high risk diabetics The beneficial effects of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular events i.e. stroke, MI and cardiac death are known and generally accepted. New strategies for reperfusion therapy A new trial has begun in order to ascertain once and for all whether the best strategy for patients who cannot receive P-PCI is early fibrinolysis, together with mandated angiography. Small peptide found to stop lung cancer tumor growth in mice In new animal research done by investigators at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, scientists have discovered a treatment effective in mice at blocking the growth and shrinking the size of lung cancer tumors, one of the leading causes of cancer death in the world. Genetic variation associated with poorer response, cardiovascular outcomes with use of clopidogrel Patients with a certain genetic variation who received the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel had a decreased platelet response to treatment and among those who had percutaneous coronary intervention (procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries) had an increased risk of having a cardiovascular event in the following year than patients who did not have this variant, according to a study in the August 26 issue of JAMA. Study reveals mounting evidence of fish oil's heart health benefits There is mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil supplements not only help prevent cardiovascular diseases in healthy individuals, but also reduce the incidence of cardiac events and mortality in patients with existing heart disease. More Aspirin Current Events and Aspirin News Articles |
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