While aspirin therapy reduces the risk of serious vascular events by approximately 25%, the concept of aspirin resistance suggests certain individuals may require alternative antiplatelet therapy.
Many large trials in cardiac, cerebral and peripheral vascular disease 1,2 have shown that an approximate 25 per cent risk reduction of further serious vascular events can be achieved with aspirin therapy in susceptible individuals, irrespective of the territory of the disease. However, the place of aspirin is now being challenged by the introduction of newer antiplatelet agents and, more recently, by the publication of studies in which such agents are used in combination with aspirin in an attempt to maximize benet 3,4 . This has reawakened interest in the concept that certain individuals may be relatively `resistant' to aspirin. Obviously such individuals, if they could be identied, would be candidates for alternative or additional antiplatelet therapy.
Smout et al. (Tue,) conducted a review in Aspirin resistance in vascular disease. Aspirin was evaluated. While aspirin therapy reduces the risk of serious vascular events by approximately 25%, the concept of aspirin resistance suggests certain individuals may require alternative antiplatelet therapy.