This result was not influenced by the dose of dipyridamole or type of presenting vascular disease .
For patients who presented with arterial vascular disease , there was no evidence that dipyridamole , in the presence or absence of another antiplatelet drug reduced the risk of vascular death , though it reduces the risk of further vascular events .
This benefit was found only in patients presenting after cerebral ischaemia .
There was no evidence that dipyridamole alone was more efficacious than aspirin
BACKGROUND Patients with limited cerebral ischaemia of arterial origin are at risk of serious vascular events ( 4 % to 11 % annually ) .
Aspirin reduces that risk by 13 % .
In one trial , adding dipyridamole to aspirin was associated with a 22 % risk reduction compared with aspirin alone .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of dipyridamole versus control in the secondary prevention of vascular events in patients with vascular disease .
European Stroke Prevention Study. ESPS Group.
We compared the outcomes of 2,500 patients who suffered from previous cerebrovascular disorders ( transient ischemic attacks , reversible ischemic neurologic deficits , or completed strokes ) treated with acetylsalicylic acid plus dipyridamole or matched placebo and followed for 2 years . Treatment was associated with a 33.5 % reduction ( p less than 0.001 ) in the incidence of all end points ( deaths from all causes or strokes ) by intention-to-treat analysis and a 36.5 % reduction ( p less than 0.001 ) by explanatory analysis . End point reduction appeared to be similar in men and women . The effect of treatment was similar regardless of the patients ' age , nature of the qualifying cerebrovascular event , site of the responsible lesion , and diastolic blood pressure . Our results demonstrate the efficacy of combined therapy , but the efficacy of  acetylsalicylic acid or dipyridamole alone and the most effective acetylsalicylic acid dosage remain in question
This result was not influenced by the dose of dipyridamole or type of presenting vascular disease .
For patients who presented with arterial vascular disease , there was no evidence that dipyridamole , in the presence or absence of another antiplatelet drug reduced the risk of vascular death , though it reduces the risk of further vascular events .
This benefit was found only in patients presenting after cerebral ischaemia .
There was no evidence that dipyridamole alone was more efficacious than aspirin
BACKGROUND Patients with limited cerebral ischaemia of arterial origin are at risk of serious vascular events ( 4 % to 11 % annually ) .
Aspirin reduces that risk by 13 % .
In one trial , adding dipyridamole to aspirin was associated with a 22 % risk reduction compared with aspirin alone .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of dipyridamole versus control in the secondary prevention of vascular events in patients with vascular disease .