Antiplatelet drugs attenuate progression of carotid intima-media thickness in subjects with type 2 diabetes.
The intima-media thickness of the carotid artery has been established as a surrogate of definite atherosclerosis in subjects with high risk of vascular events. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term antiplatelet therapy in attenuating progression of the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery of subjects with type 2 diabetes. Subjects who had an intima-media thickness over the threshold of the normal subjects but showed no symptoms of vascular events were randomly divided into groups given antiplatelet drugs [ticlopidine (n = 34) or a small dose of aspirin (n = 40)] or no drugs (n = 74). For the follow-up period (3.0+/-0.06 years), the subjects not given antiplatelet drugs showed a significantly higher progression of intima-media thickness (0.067+/-0.009 mm/year) than those given ticlopidine (0.034+/-0.013 mm/year) or aspirin (0.033+/-0.010 mm/year). Stepwise multivariant regression analysis showed that long-term administration of ticlopidine or aspirin significantly reduced the progression of intima-media thickness of diabetic subjects by 0.041 mm/year or 0.032 mm/ year, respectively. These data indicated that despite differences of their pharmacological mechanisms, antiplatelet drugs could attenuate the progression of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery wall of asymptomatic type 2 diabetics who had early-stage carotid atherosclerosis.
Kodama
M
M
Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita City, Japan.
Yamasaki
Y
Y
Sakamoto
K
K
Yoshioka
R
R
Matsuhisa
M
M
Kajimoto
Y
Y
Kosugi
K
K
Ueda
N
N
Hori
M
M
D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*
D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors