Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes provides modest cardiovascular benefits that are largely counterbalanced by an increased risk of major bleeding.
Does aspirin prevent cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes for primary prevention?
Aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes requires careful consideration of the trade-off between cardiovascular benefits and increased bleeding risk.
It is well established that people with diabetes are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those without diabetes. Although the protective role of aspirin in secondary prevention is well documented, its role in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes, after the results of major clinical trials and meta-analyses, is unclear. The observed discrepancies might be explained in part in terms of the differences between the background cardiovascular risks, follow-up periods, age and gender of the study populations. Recently, the results of the ASCEND trial in people with diabetes documented the cardiovascular benefit of aspirin for primary prevention, but with an increased risk of bleeding that might outweigh the observed cardiovascular benefit. Therefore, current guidelines recommend its use for primary prevention in people with and without diabetes under specific circumstances. The purpose of the present review is to summarize the existing literature data regarding the place that aspirin has in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes.
Papazafiropoulou et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Diabetes mellitus. Aspirin vs. Placebo or no treatment was evaluated. Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes provides modest cardiovascular benefits that are largely counterbalanced by an increased risk of major bleeding.