Patient-reported frequency of taking aspirin in a population with coronary artery disease.
Despite the established benefits of antiplatelet agents in coronary artery disease (CAD), many appropriate patients are not receiving them. We investigated the prevalence of and factors associated with aspirin use and nonuse within a large referral population with CAD. The goal was to identify an approach to increase the use of antiplatelet agents by such patients. We surveyed a subset (n = 2,694) of a large CAD referral population (n = 16,174) to determine the use of aspirin and factors associated with its use or nonuse. The subset was made up of all of the CAD referral population who were considered nonusers of aspirin and a 5% sample of those considered aspirin users. We then extrapolated survey data to the overall population to estimate how many eligible patients were not taking antiplatelet agents. In all, 1,626 (63%) of the surviving patients responded to the survey. Of these, 948 (58%) reported taking aspirin, and 678 (42%) reported no aspirin use. The extrapolated rate of aspirin use in the overall population was 85%. Of 2,367 nonusers, 998 (42%, or 6% of the overall cohort) were eligible for antiplatelet agents but were not taking such therapy. Although the rate of aspirin use in this population was higher than previously reported, an estimated 6% of eligible patients were not receiving antiplatelet therapy.
Allen LaPointe
Nancy M
NM
Duke CERTs (Centers for Education & Research on Therapeutics) at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina 27715, USA. allen003@mc.duke.edu
Kramer
Judith M
JM
DeLong
Elizabeth R
ER
Ostbye
Truls
T
Hammill
Bradley G
BG
Muhlbaier
Lawrence H
LH
McCants
Charles B
CB
Chen
Anita
A
Califf
Robert M
RM
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001241:Aspirin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012646:Self Administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D001241:Aspirin