In the ASCEND trial, aspirin reduced serious vascular events but increased major bleeding.
The utility of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes is not known. Diabetes confers cardiovascular risk for many people, and aspirin has the potential to reduce that risk, but some people speculate that diabetes may reduce the antiplatelet effects of aspirin.
Investigators in the ASCEND trial (which also included a trial of n-3 fatty acids, reported separately; NEJM JW Cardiol Aug 26 2018; [e-pub]) randomized 15,480 people with diabetes, but without known cardiovascular disease, to 100 mg daily of aspirin or placebo (NCT00135226). The primary efficacy outcome was the first serious vascular event (nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke, transient ischemic attack, or death from any vascular ca…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association