Aspirin Use Not Tied to Clinical Outcomes in Nonobstructive CAD

MONDAY, May 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), aspirin use is not associated with a reduced risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), according to a study published in the April issue of Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

Praveen Indraratna, M.B.B.S., from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study involving 6,386 participants who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography and were classified as having no detectable coronary plaque or having nonobstructive CAD (1 to 49 percent stenosis). Participants were followed for a mean of 5.66 ± 1.10 years.

The researchers found that compared with those without CAD, participants with nonobstructive CAD had an increased risk for all-cause mortality (10.6 versus 4.8 percent). For participants with nonobstructive CAD, there was no significant association for baseline aspirin use with a reduction in the risk for MACE, all-cause mortality, or myocardial infarction. The rate of MACE was significantly lower in association with baseline statin use in a multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.59). For participants with no detectable plaque, neither therapy improved clinical outcomes.

“Ultimately, further research is required to determine whether, and at what threshold, clinicians should consider prescribing aspirin for patients upon the identification of nonobstructive coronary artery disease on coronary computed tomography angiography,” a coauthor said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the medical device and health care industries.

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