People who have survived a heart attack should take low-dose acetylsalicylic acid, i.e. aspirin (ASA), in the long term. When patients stop taking the drug, they are at increased risk of repeated heart attack, stroke, and increased risk of death for years to come. This is shown by a Danish study.
The results of the Danish study will be presented in Amsterdam in the coming days. The scientific event, which takes place from 25 to 28 August, is one of the largest conferences in the world. Viennese heart specialist Franz Weidinger is president of the European Society of Cardiology.
Platelet aggregation inhibitor
The background of the scientific research with the evaluation of the data of 40,114 patients: ASA – in a dose of 50 or one hundred milligrams per day – is one of the most important active ingredients in the secondary prevention of heart attacks & Co. 40 years The drug with a history of more than a hundred years acts as an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. The “platelet aggregation inhibitor” therefore prevents the occurrence of blood clots, which are the cause of heart attacks and ischemic strokes. While aspirin’s importance in the initial prevention of such acute cardiovascular events is increasingly undermined, its value in preventing further heart attacks or strokes is very well documented.
Medication is not taken long enough
However, patients usually do not use the drug for very long. Anna Kristensen of Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Denmark and her co-authors analyzed data from 40,114 heart attack patients from 2004 to 2017. All samples are from over 40-year-olds who underwent balloon dilatation via a catheter and a stent to keep the affected coronary artery open after the cardiac event. They took the drug for the first year after the rash. Continuous secondary prevention was rated at 80 percent or higher with continued intake.
The frequency of use decreases over time: 90 percent after two years, 82 percent after six years and 81 percent after eight years. The main result, according to the European Society of Cardiology: “Compared with patients taking ASA, non-adherent patients had a 29 percent higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death at two years, one to 40 percent higher risk at four years, after six years a 31 percent higher risk and after eight years such acute incidents are 20 percent more common.”
Research shows that there are good effects
The study indicates that ASA has a good effect on heart attack patients. However, they do not know why those affected have stopped taking the drug. One reason may be side effects.
Source: Krone
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