Aspirin in type 2 diabetes: is there any evidence base?

doi:10.1136/bmj.a1902

Published 16 October 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1902
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1902

Practice

Evidence Based Case Report

Aspirin in type 2 diabetes: is there any evidence base?

Maie Walsh, medical student¹, Geoffrey Spurling, senior lecturer²

¹ University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia , ² Discipline of General Practice, University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Hospital

Correspondence to: G Spurling g.spurling@uq.edu.au

Aspirin is routinely given to patients with type 2 diabetesto prevent cardiovascular events, but does this practice haveany evidence base?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

While I (MW) was observing general practitioner consultationsas a medical student, a 46 year old woman with type 2 diabetespresented for prescriptions. Because this is a common presentation,I thought this was one consultation that I should tune into.The patient’s diabetes was well controlled by diet andlifestyle alone. Her most recent glycated haemoglobin valuewas 6.1%. Hypercholesterolaemia (total cholesterol/high densitylipoprotein cholesterol 4.2) and hypertension (blood pressure125/80 mm Hg) were effectively managed with drugs. She was aregular smoker, which gave her an absolute cardiovascular riskof 5-10% (New Zealand cardiovascular risk calculator; www.nzgg.org.nz/guidelines/0035/CVD_Risk_Chart.pdf)over five years. However, one of the drugs she was taking didn’tmake sense to me, so I asked my supervisor why someone withwell controlled diabetes who was otherwise healthy should beon aspirin. "It’s routine to give someone with type 2diabetes aspirin," he assured me. I must . . . [Full text of this article]

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