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Aspirin in the prevention of progressing stroke: a randomized controlled study
A Rödén-Jüllig1, M Britton, K Malmkvist
1Division of Internal Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. asa.roden@previa.se
Journal of Internal Medicine
|December 4, 2003
Summary
Aspirin did not significantly prevent stroke progression or improve patient outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients. This study found no significant benefit of aspirin compared to placebo for stroke progression or recovery.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Clinical Trials
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Acute stroke progression significantly impacts patient outcomes.
- Effective treatments for preventing stroke progression are lacking.
- Aspirin is a widely used antiplatelet agent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of aspirin in preventing stroke progression.
- To determine if aspirin improves patient outcomes following acute ischemic stroke.
Main Methods:
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in four Swedish stroke units.
- 441 patients with ischemic stroke received either aspirin (325 mg daily) or placebo for five days.
- Neurological assessments and outcome follow-up at discharge and 3 months.
Main Results:
- Aspirin treatment did not significantly reduce the frequency of stroke progression (15.9% vs. 16.7% in placebo).
- The relative risk of stroke progression with aspirin was 0.95 (95% CI 0.62-1.45).
- No significant difference in patient outcomes was observed between aspirin and placebo groups at discharge or 3 months.
Conclusions:
- Aspirin did not demonstrate a significant positive effect on preventing stroke progression.
- The study found no evidence that aspirin improves patient outcomes in acute ischemic stroke.
- The observed effect of aspirin was not of the expected magnitude to warrant its use for stroke progression prevention.