Research pointers: Platelet responsiveness to aspirin in patients with hyperlipidaemia

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Abstract
Platelet responsiveness to aspirin is reduced in patients with hyperlipidaemia Aspirin 325 mg/day reduces the rate of events associated with coronary heart disease. In most people, aspirin produces irreversible inhibition of platelet aggregation, but in a sizeable minority of patients, the degree of platelet aggregation needed to prevent events according to in vitro assessments is not achieved.1 Risk factors for coronary heart disease may contribute to aspirin resistance (the inability of aspirin to protect individuals from thrombotic complications), so aspirin may not be cardioprotective in patients with hyperlipidaemia.2 We evaluated patients with a range of cholesterol concentrations to determine the impact of hypercholesterolaemia on platelet responsiveness in patients treated with aspirin. Consecutive patients (n=56) were recruited from the University of Maryland Preventive Cardiology Outpatient Center. The mean (SD) age was 54.3 (11.1) years, and 40 (72%) of the …