Acetylsalicylic acid ( ASA ) did not reduce stroke or ' all cardiovascular events ' compared to placebo in primary prevention patients with elevated blood pressure and no prior cardiovascular disease .
Antiplatelet therapy with ASA for primary prevention in patients with elevated blood pressure provides a benefit , reduction in myocardial infa rct ion , which is negated by a harm of similar magnitude , increase in major haemorrhage .
The benefit of antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention in patients with elevated blood pressure is many times greater than the harm .
Benefit has not been demonstrated for warfarin therapy alone or in combination with aspirin in patients with elevated blood pressure .
BACKGROUND Elevated systemic blood pressure results in high intravascular pressure but the main complications , coronary heart disease ( CHD ) , ischaemic strokes and peripheral vascular disease ( PVD ) , are related to thrombosis rather than haemorrhage .
Some complications related to elevated blood pressure , heart failure or atrial fibrillation , are themselves associated with stroke and thromboembolism .
Therefore it is important to investigate if antithrombotic therapy may be useful in preventing thrombosis-related complications in patients with elevated blood pressure .
OBJECTIVES To conduct a systematic review of the role of antiplatelet therapy and anticoagulation in patients with high blood pressure , including those with elevations in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure , isolated elevations of either systolic or diastolic blood pressure , to address the following hypotheses : ( i ) antiplatelet agents reduce total deaths and /or major thrombotic events when compared to placebo or other active treatment ; and ( ii ) oral anticoagulants reduce total deaths and /or major thromboembolic events when compared to placebo or other active treatment .
Ticlopidine , clopidogrel and newer antiplatelet agents such as prasugrel and ticagrelor have not been sufficiently evaluated in patients with high blood pressure .
Secondary stroke prevention with low-dose aspirin, sustained release dipyridamole alone and in combination. ESPS Investigators. European Stroke Prevention Study.
Patients who had survived a stroke or transient ischaemic attacks ( TIA ) were admitted to a trial of low-dose aspirin ( 50 mg ) alone , sustained release dipyridamole ( 400 mg/day ) alone , or a combination of the two agents , and results compared with a placebo over 24 months . This low-dose aspirin regimen produced in pairwise comparisons a significant risk reduction of 18 % for stroke , 13 % for stroke and /or death but no reduction in all cause mortality . The sustained release dipyridamole produced a significant risk reduction of 16 % for stroke , 15 % for stroke and /or death but no significant reduction of mortality . In combination , aspirin and dipyridamole produced a risk reduction of 37 % in stroke , 24 % in stroke and /or death , and no reduction in mortality . Similar findings were found in TIA , which was a secondary endpoint . These results are highly significant in comparison with placebo . As expected , there were enhanced reports of alimentary side-effects in the aspirin groups and also enhanced bleeding .  Dipyridamole was associated with a slight increase in headache , which resolved in most patients if therapy was continued . The conclusions are that 50 mg/day of aspirin alone or 400 mg/day of sustained release dipyridamole alone are equally effective in stroke and TIA prevention . When used in combination the effects were additive and were significantly more effective than the single agents
Acetylsalicylic acid ( ASA ) did not reduce stroke or ' all cardiovascular events ' compared to placebo in primary prevention patients with elevated blood pressure and no prior cardiovascular disease .
Antiplatelet therapy with ASA for primary prevention in patients with elevated blood pressure provides a benefit , reduction in myocardial infa rct ion , which is negated by a harm of similar magnitude , increase in major haemorrhage .
The benefit of antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention in patients with elevated blood pressure is many times greater than the harm .
Benefit has not been demonstrated for warfarin therapy alone or in combination with aspirin in patients with elevated blood pressure .
BACKGROUND Elevated systemic blood pressure results in high intravascular pressure but the main complications , coronary heart disease ( CHD ) , ischaemic strokes and peripheral vascular disease ( PVD ) , are related to thrombosis rather than haemorrhage .
Some complications related to elevated blood pressure , heart failure or atrial fibrillation , are themselves associated with stroke and thromboembolism .
Therefore it is important to investigate if antithrombotic therapy may be useful in preventing thrombosis-related complications in patients with elevated blood pressure .
OBJECTIVES To conduct a systematic review of the role of antiplatelet therapy and anticoagulation in patients with high blood pressure , including those with elevations in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure , isolated elevations of either systolic or diastolic blood pressure , to address the following hypotheses : ( i ) antiplatelet agents reduce total deaths and /or major thrombotic events when compared to placebo or other active treatment ; and ( ii ) oral anticoagulants reduce total deaths and /or major thromboembolic events when compared to placebo or other active treatment .
Ticlopidine , clopidogrel and newer antiplatelet agents such as prasugrel and ticagrelor have not been sufficiently evaluated in patients with high blood pressure .