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For Immediate Release
3/13/2007
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Jennifer Gelman
410-601-5528
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The Heart Center at Sinai Conducts Landmark Study on Aspirin Resistance in Diabetics
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Researchers at the Center for
Thrombosis Research at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore present findings at the
Annual Scientific Session
of the American College of Cardiology
Aspirin has long been the industry standard for the
prevention and treatment of heart attacks. However, for the more than 20 million
Americans living with diabetes, the standard dose of aspirin might not provide
adequate protection against future heart attacks. Researchers at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore recently demonstrated that
aspirin resistance is higher in diabetics with coronary artery disease (CAD)
than in non-diabetics at the standard 81mg dose of aspirin. The study
(#1019-179) will be presented in its entirety at the 56th Annual Scientific
Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in New Orleans on March
26.
Most CAD deaths are caused by platelets sticking
together and forming blood clots (thrombosis) that block blood flow within
arteries, resulting in a heart attack. Aspirin inhibits clotting by specifically
blocking an important enzyme, COX-1, which keeps platelets from sticking
together. However, some diabetic patients may require a higher aspirin dose to
achieve sufficient COX-1 blockade.
"The occurrence of clotting in patients on aspirin
therapy is of major interest within the cardiovascular community. The effect of
aspirin dosing in diabetic patients on the prevalence of aspirin resistance
remains unclear,” said Paul A. Gurbel, M.D., director of the Center for Thrombosis Research at Sinai Hospital of
Baltimore and lead author on this study. "Our data suggest that
there may be a higher risk of thrombosis in diabetic patients during low dose
aspirin therapy.”
The team at the Sinai Center for Thrombosis Research
studied 120 aspirin treated patients (30 patients with diabetes) with stable
coronary artery disease. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 81mg,
162mg, or 325mg of aspirin daily for four weeks each, for a total of 12 weeks.
The response to aspirin was then tested by multiple laboratory methods. It was
found that diabetic patients exhibited a higher prevalence of aspirin resistance
than non-diabetic patients with 81mg of aspirin.
"The results of our findings may help to determine the
best aspirin dose for diabetic patients, moving physicians away from the
one-size-fits-all approach to aspirin therapy,” said Gurbel.
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore is a member of LifeBridge
Health, a regional health organization, which also includes Northwest Hospital Center, Levindale Hebrew
Geriatric Center and Hospital, Jewish
Convalescent & Nursing Home, and related subsidiaries and
affiliates.
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