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Back to Hematology Articles
Thursday 11th August, 2005
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Evidence is growing that some people will not respond to the
anti-coagulant action of aspirin despite its regular intake.
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Treatment failures occur with any drug and aspirin is no
exception. Evidence is growing that some people will not respond
to the anti-coagulant action of aspirin and the drug will not
protect against cardiovascular events despite its regular
intake.
Professor Andrew Szczeklik from Poland and Professor Graeme
Hankey from Western Australia will present the latest findings
on aspirin resistance at the XXth Congress of the International
Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis today.
"There are at least two possible explanations for the
aspirin-resistance phenomenon," said Professor Szczeklik. "One
is high levels of
blood cholesterol, which can in itself promote
coagulation events in the blood stream. In patients with high
cholesterol levels,
aspirin in in normal doses has hardly any
anti-clotting effects, whereas treatment with a
statin
(inhibitor of cholesterol) significantly reduces blood clotting.
In patients with
coronary heart disease,
aspirin exerts it
anti-coagulant effects only when
blood cholesterol is in the
'normal' range."
Szczeklik went onto say, "A patients genetic make-up may
alter their response to
aspirin resistance.. For example, in
coronary heart disease patients carrying one particular gene are
resistant to the anti-coagulant action of
aspirin and are at
increased risk of an acute coronary event."
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Perth researcher, Professor Graeme Hankey, has shown that
patients who show evidence of
aspirin resistance do respond well
to another drug called Clopidogrel.
"Clopidogrel had anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory effects
in patients with diseased arteries. These effects were greatest
in the aspirin-resistant patients," said Hankey.
"The use of
aspirin has risen dramatically in Australia in
the late 1990's. This is why it is vital that
aspirin resistance
is considered when implementing anti-clotting therapy. Present
data indicate that this particularly applies to survivors of a
heart attack or
unstable angina, patients receiving
bypass
surgery as well as people with high
cholesterol," reported Hankey.
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