Platelet Function Testing-Guided Antiplatelet Therapy.

ABSTRACT: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the Western world. Several factors have led to the increase in vascular disorders, including the aging population, unhealthy lifestyles, increasing rates of diabetes and raised lipids, and further risk factors resulting in inflammation and calcification of the vascular endothelium. Activated platelets in damaged blood vessels can trigger arterial thrombus formation, leading to vascular occlusion with subsequent organ hypoperfusion and clinical manifestation of myocardial infarction, stroke, or peripheral artery disease. Platelet inhibitors such as aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix(®) and generics) are prescribed as primary or secondary prevention to attenuate chronic platelet activation. However, a significant proportion of patients do not respond adequately to uniform antiplatelet treatment. These 'non-responders' have an increased risk for stent thrombosis, stroke, and other ischemic complications. Platelet function (PF) tests can identify these patients thus enabling physicians to offer personalized and alternative treatment strategies. Recent alternatives to clopidogrel include prasugrel (Efient(®)) and ticagrelor (Brilique(®)) - that are both more potent than clopidogrel but also more expensive and associated with a higher risk of bleeding complications. Given these drawbacks, PF testing might help clinicians to prescribe optimal antiplatelet agent to maximize patient safety and efficacy while minimizing costs. While randomized studies using different test systems have left clinicians puzzled about the medical value of tailored antiplatelet therapy, accumulated evidence from recent studies on tailored antiplatelet therapies and the association with improved outcomes have now resulted in a consensus expert opinion for the specific adoption of PF diagnostics into clinical practice.

SUBMITTER: Lenk E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4975182 | biostudies-other | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other