New Test for Aspirin Heart Benefit
A simple new, FDA-approved blood test is now available to determine whether patients are receiving the desired health benefits of daily aspirin intake. Of the millions of American who take daily aspirin to prevent stroke and heart attack, at least 25% are not actually getting protective benefit, according to an article in Illinois’ Quincy Herald-Whig newspaper on 24 July.
"Aspirin therapy is known to provide important life-saving benefits, but it is increasingly clear that not all patients respond to aspirin," Dr. Peter Hamel, medical director of Hannibal Regional Hospital’s Department of Laboratory Services, reported to the Quincy Herald-Whig. "Recent studies have shown that 25-30% of patients on standard, low-dose therapy are resistant to aspirin."
Patients who do not respond to aspirin more than a three-fold risk of having life-threatening cardiovascular events, according to a March 2003 article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
"The increased risks associated with aspirin resistance underscore the value of testing, and the importance of making such a test readily available," said Barb Parkhill, the hospital’s director of Laboratory Services, noting that the hospital now offers FDA-approved tests to determine whether a patient’s aspirin regimen is conferring health benefits.
"We now have the critical ability to quickly and accurately identify patients who are not fully responding to aspirin, and take appropriate action to ensure they are protected from heart attack and stroke," reported Dr. Parkhhill.
The tests take 10 minutes to complete and require a small blood sample, which is analyzed for the presence of aspirin’s anti-platelet action. Aspirin works by preventing platelets from clotting inside the arteries of the brain and heart. If this anti-platelet action is not present, doctors may increase the aspirin dosage or prescribe another anti-platelet drug.
Scientists do not yet understand why some patients fail to respond to aspirin therapy, but speculation exists that insensitivity to aspirin at lower dosages, genetic influences, simultaneous use of other drugs and/or elevated cholesterol levels may be contributing factors.
Posted: July 2005
