Preventing repeat strokes—are survivors taking their medicine?

	Tweet

Since 1999, stroke survivors have been advised to use aspirin, prescription antiplatelet agents, or prescription anticoagulants to help avoid another stroke. Many large surveys of the U.S. population have reported the use of aspirin for secondary prevention, but commonly combine people with stroke and coronary artery disease, and only rarely report the use of antithrombotic agents other than aspirin. In an article published in the January 2010 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers analyze survey data over a 7-year period to determine whether true usage of all preventive therapies, including aspirin, is increasing.

The annual Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) contains data on use of both aspirin and prescription medications. Each year, a MEPS panel is drawn from respondents from the previous year’s National Health Interview Survey, a representative sample of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population with oversampling of minority populations and households with low family income.

In the seven annual MEPS data sets from 2000�, there were 4168 people who reported a cerebrovascular event. Pooling results across the 7 years, 57% were taking aspirin, 66% were using any antiplatelet agent, and 75% were using any antithrombotic agent. After excluding people who said that they were not taking aspirin because it was unsafe, 81% were using any antithrombotic agent.

Lead author Eric M. Cheng, MD, MS, and co-authors state, “Even though use of prescription antiplatelet medications is rising, aspirin remains the predominant antithrombotic agent used for secondary stroke prevention. There were no improvements in overall use of antithrombotic agents over the 7-year period. Use of aspirin, prescription antiplatelet agents, and use of any antiplatelet agent increased over the study period, but after dropping the first 2 years, no temporal trend was detected, indicating that temporal changes in usage of these agents had plateaued.”

The authors also found that older non-Hispanic men were more likely to be taking antithrombotic agents. They conclude “Although the level of use of antithrombotic agents appears high, further research should investigate whether the remaining 20% truly have indications for antithrombotic therapy that outweigh any contraindications, and, if so, why they are not taking these medications, particularly among younger, female, and Hispanic patients.

###

The article is “Use of Antithrombotic Agents Among U.S. Stroke Survivors, 2000�” by Eric M. Cheng, MD, MS, Stanley N. Cohen, MD, Martin L. Lee, PhD, Stefanie D. Vassar, MS, and Alex Y. Chen, MD, MS. The article appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 38, Issue 1 (January 2010) published by Elsevier.

Contact: AJPM Editorial Office

858-534-9340
Elsevier Health Sciences

RELATED STORIES:
Some Disabilities Remain Hidden After Stroke, Researcher Says   Optimism associated with lower risk of having stroke   Device proves option to warfarin in stroke study   Regeneration after a stroke requires intact communication channels between the two halves of the brain   Study finds delirium after stroke linked to poorer outcomes for patients   New Study Helps Stroke Patients Walk Correctly Again   New 3-D ultrasound could improve stroke diagnosis, care   Study confirms link between migraines and stroke   Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2011 Update   Infections in childhood linked to high risk of ischemic stroke   Stroke doubles patients’ risk of hip or thigh fracture   Who Will Benefit From Stroke Drug? New Score Can Help Decide

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]