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 .
Persantine-Aspirin Reinfarction Study. Part II. Secondary coronary prevention with persantine and aspirin.
In the Persantine-Aspirin Reinfa rct ion Study , Part II ( PARIS II ) , 3,128 persons who had recovered from myocardial infa rct ion , suffered from 4 weeks to 4 months previously , were r and omized into two groups : dipyridamole ( Persantine ) plus aspirin ( n = 1,563 ) and placebo ( n = 1,565 ) . The average length of follow-up was 23.4 months . Prespecified primary end points were coronary incidence ( definite nonfatal myocardial infa rct ion plus death due to recent or acute cardiac event ) , coronary mortality ( death due to recent or acute cardiac event ) and total mortality , each at 1 year of patient follow-up and at the end of the study . Coronary incidence in the Persantine plus aspirin group was significantly lower than in the placebo group , both at 1 year ( 30 % reduction ) and at the end of the study ( 24 % reduction ) . The statistically significant differences in coronary incidence , at 1 year and at the end of the study , in favor of the combination treatment remained after adjustment for multiple baseline variables and adjustment for multiple testing ( three end points for two time periods ) . Although there were reductions for other end points , these differences were not statistically significant . Coronary mortality was 20 % lower in the Persantine plus aspirin group compared with the placebo group at 1 year , and 6 % lower overall . Total mortality in the treated group compared with the placebo group was 11 % lower at 1 year and 3 % lower overall . The reduced rates of coronary incidence largely reflected lower rates of definite nonfatal myocardial infa rct ion in the Persantine plus aspirin group . Several subgroups were defined a priori and at the end of the study . The beneficial effect of Persantine plus aspirin compared with placebo for coronary incidence tended to be greater for the following groups of patients : those who had a non-Q wave infa rct ; those who were not taking digitalis ; those who were receiving beta-receptor blocking drugs at baseline ; those who were in New York Heart Association functional class I ; those who had had only one myocardial infa rct ion ; or those who were enrolled in the study early , that is within 85 days of the qualifying myocardial infa rct ion
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 .