Aspirin Resistance: Clinical Significance

Volume 1, Jul 2012

Gundu H. R. Rao, PhD, Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA

Salicylates have been in use for the management of pain and inflammation for centuries. However, the stable form of this drug (acetyl salicylic acid), which was developed for therapeutic applications in the name of aspirin, has been in use for little over a century. Aspirin is the most cost-effective antiplatelet drug of choice for the management and secondary prevention of acute vascular events. Several hundred clinical studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of aspirin in preventing or reducing the occurrence of acute vascular events. Aspirin at as little as 80–160 mg/d has been shown to offer significant benefits under a variety of platelet-related clinical complications. However, in recent years, there is a great concern that significant  number of patients on aspirin prophylaxis may develop resistance to this therapy and thereby increase their chances of having acute vascular events. Several recent studies have demonstrated that aspirin resistance plays a critical role in the management of thrombotic conditions.


Volume 1, Number 3, Pages: 118-29