Aspirin resistance in patients with ischemic stroke

Objective: Aspirin is the basic agent of antithrombotic treatment in ischemic cerebrovascular disease (CVD).Patients who do not respond to the treatment are described as aspirin-resistant.Recent studies have reported an incidence of aspirin resistance among CVD patients of between 3% and 85%.The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of aspirin resistance in CVD patients and evaluate any relationship with demographic characteristics, risk factors, or stroke subtypes.Methods: A total of 163 (106 male, 57 female) acute ischemic stroke patients from a 6-month period treated with aspirin (100 mg, 300 mg daily) were evaluated.Aspirin resistance was measured using a Multiplate platelet analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Risch-Rotkreuz, Switzerland).Potential correlations between aspirin resistance and stroke subtypes, age, sex, weight, height, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, history of CVD, tobacco use, alcohol use, hyperlipidemia, and fasting blood glucose level were analyzed.Results: Aspirin resistance was determined in 16 male patients and 9 female patients in the group: a total of 25 (15.3%) of 163 patients.There was no statistically significant relationship between aspirin resistance and stroke-related clinical and laboratory parameters.Conclusion: Additional, large, prospective, randomized studies are needed to clarify which patients with ischemic stroke should be tested and how to treat patients with resistance.