There is some good news for people with heart disease, especially those with a condition called coronary artery disease.
This is when the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart become narrow, making it harder for the heart to do its job.
A large study led by Professor Marco Valgimigli from the Cardiocentro Ticino Foundation has found something that could change how heart disease is treated.
For years, doctors have used aspirin to help protect people from heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin helps keep blood flowing by preventing clots, which can block blood vessels and lead to serious heart problems.
In more serious heart conditions, such as acute coronary syndrome, doctors often prescribe aspirin along with another medicine called a P2Y12 inhibitor. This gives double protection. P2Y12 inhibitors—like clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor—work together with aspirin to lower the risk of blood clots even more.
In the past, clopidogrel (a type of P2Y12 inhibitor) was tested alone and showed some benefit over aspirin. But now, this new study gives us stronger and clearer results.
Researchers looked at more than 24,000 people with coronary artery disease. Half took a P2Y12 inhibitor, and the other half took aspirin. The patients were followed for about a year and a half. Most were around 64 years old, and about one in five were women.
The results were exciting. People who took the P2Y12 inhibitor had fewer heart attacks and strokes than those who took aspirin alone. In fact, the risk of heart attacks dropped by 23% in the P2Y12 group. That’s a big difference and could help save many lives.
One worry with medicines that prevent blood clots is the risk of bleeding, especially serious bleeding in places like the stomach or brain. But the study found that people taking P2Y12 inhibitors did not have a higher risk of major bleeding than those on aspirin. In some cases, they actually had fewer bleeding problems.
This means that for many people with coronary artery disease, taking a P2Y12 inhibitor alone might be a better and safer choice than taking aspirin. It’s like finding a better traffic control system for your heart—one that keeps things moving without causing new problems.
The findings were shared at the ESC Congress in 2022, one of the world’s biggest meetings for heart doctors. The results are already leading many experts to think about changing how they treat heart disease.
This discovery gives hope to many patients. It shows that new research can lead to safer and more effective ways to protect the heart. It also helps doctors give their patients the best care possible, with fewer side effects and better outcomes.
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