title: MATCH results: implications for the internist.
abstract: The long-awaited results of the Management of Atherothrombosis with Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients with Recent Transient Ischemic Attack (MATCH) study, a large-scale trial undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of clopidogrel + aspirin for secondary prevention of stroke, have been published. The efficacy of any antiplatelet therapy, including aspirin, is modest when it is used as monotherapy, and combination therapy with 2 antiplatelet agents has shown promise in reducing the risk for secondary stroke in patients who have had a previous transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke. However, unlike the Second European Stroke Prevention Study (ESPS-2), which demonstrated a significant reduction in risk for secondary stroke with aspirin + extended-release dipyridamole versus aspirin alone the results of the MATCH trial indicated that the reduction in risk achieved by adding aspirin to clopidogrel is not significantly greater than that achieved with clopidogrel alone. Furthermore, a significant increase in life-threatening bleeding complications was associated with the combination of clopidogrel + aspirin. Given these findings, clopidogrel + aspirin cannot be recommended at this time for the secondary prevention of stroke in patients who have had a previous ischemic stroke or TIA.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Stroke Center and Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore 97239-3098, USA. lutseph@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Helmi L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Lutsep
mesh_terms: D001241:Aspirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D000077144:Clopidogrel; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005060:Europe; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013988:Ticlopidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D000077144:Clopidogrel; D013988:Ticlopidine; D001241:Aspirin