[Antiaggregation: aspirin]

A Eichenberger1, L Pontiggia, J H Beer

  • 1Departement Innere Medizin, Kantonsspital Baden. adrian.eichenberger@ksb.ch

Insights

Aspirin effectively prevents secondary cardiovascular events, with a number needed to treat of 25. However, it carries risks of bleeding, necessitating careful consideration for primary prevention in high-risk individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Preventive Medicine

Background:

  • Randomized trials confirm aspirin's efficacy as an antiplatelet agent.
  • Aspirin is established for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the benefits and risks of aspirin therapy.
  • To define guidelines for aspirin use in primary and secondary prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Review of randomized controlled trials on aspirin.
  • Analysis of number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) data.
  • Assessment of risk stratification models for primary prevention.

Main Results:

  • NNT for vascular event prevention is approximately 25.
  • NNH for cerebral bleeding is about 1,000; for severe extracerebral bleeding, 100-200.
  • Primary prevention is recommended for high-risk patients (≥1-1.5% annual risk).

Conclusions:

  • Aspirin is a valuable tool for secondary cardiovascular event prevention.
  • Risk-benefit assessment is crucial, especially for primary prevention.
  • Further discussion on mechanisms, interactions, and aspirin resistance is warranted.

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