Twice-Daily Aspirin Is Cardio-Protective for Diabetes Patients Without CVD

Twice-daily, low-dose aspirin increases platelet aggregation in aspirin-naïve patients with diabetes without cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to the findings of a recent study.

It is well-known that aspirin can lower the risk of CVD, although its effect in patients with diabetes is controversial. Aspirin typically has a reduced platelet effect in patients with diabetes and a history of CVD, which is associated with increased platelet turnover. However, this effect has not been studied in patients with diabetes but no history of CVD.
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For their open-label, parallel group study, the researchers measured platelet aggregation from the blood samples of 21 patients with type 2 diabetes and 21 age- and sex-matched controls. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and at 1 hour after participants received 75 mg, aspirin. Then participants received once-daily aspirin for 6 days and had their blood drawn at 1 hour and 24 hours after aspirin intake.

The researchers found that platelet aggregation levels increased during the 24-hour aspirin-dosing interval for both participants with diabetes and controls after 6 days of treatment.

At baseline, participants with diabetes had increased platelet aggregation compared with controls. Platelet aggregation was reduced after the first dose of aspirin among those with diabetes and continued to decrease during the 6 days of treatment.

In addition, participants with diabetes had a higher number of immature platelets compared with controls, indicating higher platelet turnover. However, this finding was not statistically significant.

“Aspirin-naïve [type 2 diabetes] patients had increased platelet aggregation compared to healthy controls, confirming alterations in platelet aggregation in patients with [type 2 diabetes],” the researchers concluded. “Our study indicates that patients with [type 2 diabetes] may achieve additional benefit from twice daily dosing of aspirin. Large-scale clinical outcome trials are needed to determine this.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Vernstroem L, Funck KL, Laugesen E, Grove EL, Hvas AM, Poulsen PL. Antiplatelet effect of aspirin during 24 hours in patients with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease. Presented at: European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting; September 12-15, 2017; Lisbon, PT. Abstract 1132.