Optimal oral antiplatelet therapy for vascular disease

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7482.0-e

BMJ 2005;330 (8 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7482.0-e

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Optimal oral antiplatelet therapy for vascular disease

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Question Which antiplatelet agents, used alone or in combination,are effective in preventing recurrent vascular events?

Synopsis Aspirin prevents recurrent vascular events in a widerange of high risk patients, but it is unknown if other antiplateletagents, such as clopidogrel or dipyridamole, alone or in combinationwith aspirin, are more effective. The investigators rigorouslysearched multiple databases including Medline, the Cochraneclinical trials registry, and reference lists of trials, reviewarticles, and scientific statements and guidelines of officialsocieties. They included randomised trials comparing an antiplateletregimen to either placebo or another antiplatelet regimen assessingoutcomes for at least 10 days. They identified 111 trials enrollingnearly 100 000 patients. The investigators do not state if thesearch for, and evaluation of, the included studies was doneindependently by more than one person. No formal assessmentof the potential for publication bias was done, nor was anyspecific analysis . . . [Full text of this article]