Aspirin treatment failure warningAugust 10, 2005Treatment failures occur with any drug and aspirin is no exception. Evidence is growing that some people will not respond to the anti-coagulant action of aspirin and the drug will not protect against cardiovascular events despite its regular intake. Professor Andrew Szczeklik from Poland and Professor Graeme Hankey from Western Australia will present the latest findings on aspirin resistance at the XXth Congress of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis today. "There are at least two possible explanations for the aspirin-resistance phenomenon," said Professor Szczeklik. "One is high levels of blood cholesterol, which can in itself promote coagulation events in the blood stream. In patients with high cholesterol levels, aspirin in in normal doses has hardly any anti-clotting effects, whereas treatment with a statin (inhibitor of cholesterol) significantly reduces blood clotting. In patients with coronary heart disease, aspirin exerts it anti-coagulant effects only when blood cholesterol is in the 'normal' range." Szczeklik went onto say, "A patients genetic make-up may alter their response to aspirin resistance.. For example, in coronary heart disease patients carrying one particular gene are resistant to the anti-coagulant action of aspirin and are at increased risk of an acute coronary event." Perth researcher, Professor Graeme Hankey, has shown that patients who show evidence of aspirin resistance do respond well to another drug called Clopidogrel. "Clopidogrel had anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory effects in patients with diseased arteries. These effects were greatest in the aspirin-resistant patients," said Hankey. "The use of aspirin has risen dramatically in Australia in the late 1990's. This is why it is vital that aspirin resistance is considered when implementing anti-clotting therapy. Present data indicate that this particularly applies to survivors of a heart attack or unstable angina, patients receiving bypass surgery as well as people with high cholesterol," reported Hankey. Research Australia |
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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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