医療薬学 Vol. 30, No. 12 (2004)
789 Jpn. ノ
Aspirin
Therapy
for the Primary
Cardiovascular A Meta-analysis Yuichi Ohwaki*1,2, Choichiro Tamio
Mitsuhiro
Prevention
ト
Health
Care
Sci.
30(12)789-793 (2004)
of
Disease
of Randomized
Miyazaki2,
Inohira2, Tetsuya
J. Pharm. ー
Kosuke
Hamada2,
Trials
Yamagata2,
Mihoko
Wadal and Kenichiro
Tsutomu
Tahara2,
N. Nakashima1,
Nakashima1
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Course of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University1 Health Care Pharmacy Corporation2 Received
July 28, 2004
Accepted
October
11, 2004
Although the daily use of aspirin reduces the risks of myocardial infarction, stroke and vascular death in patients at high risk of developing vascular disease, the use of preventative aspirin therapy in patients with no history of cardiovascular disease is controversial. For this reason, we studied the benefits and risks of aspirin therapy in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, in particular for aspirin at low doses. On performing a meta-analysis of 4 randomized trials with low-dose aspirin therapy for primary prevention, the low-dose aspirin was found to significantly reduce the risk of myocardial infarction (summary odds ratio (OR), 0.64 ; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.56 to 0.74). Though the all-cause mortality (summary OR, 0.94 ; 95 % CI, 0.84 to 1.04) was not significantly affected by aspirin therapy, it significantly increased the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (summary OR , 2.03 ; 95 % CI, 1.55 to 2.65). These results suggest that low-dose aspirin therapy is beneficial in the primary prevention increases the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Key words
aspirin, primary prevention,
cardiovascular
disease, meta-analysis,
of myocardial
gastrointestinal
without a history of cardiovascular
The benefitof aspirin therapy in patientswith a historyof cardiovasculardiseasehas been well established1,2). An influential meta-analysisof over 100 randomized clinical trials showedthat the aspirin therapy reduced the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarctionby 34%, and in the setting of secondary prevention reduces non-fatal strokes by 31%, cardiovascular events by 27% , and cardiovasculardeaths by 18%, respectively2). On the other hand, two early randomizedtrials of aspirin in healthy men, the British Male Doctors' Trial3) and the U.S. Physicians' Health Stud?), had contradictive results regarding whether aspirin could reduce the risk for myocardial infarction. Neither trial had sufficient power to precisely estimate major harms such as gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke3,4).Recently, three additional large primary preventiontrials for aspirin were published5,7). However, a benefit of aspirin therapy for patients 1
長 崎 市 文 教 町 1-14
; 1-14,
Bunkyo-machi,
長 崎 市 上 野 町 1-2
; 1-2,
Ueno-machi,
but it
bleeding
disease has not been still
clarified. Further, aspirin doses used in these trials were too
Introduction
2
infarction,
Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki-shi,
852-8521 852-8113
high for Japanese. The aim of this study is to estimate the benefits of lowdose aspirin therapy in primary prevention disease. Moreover,
we especially
of cardiovascular
attempted
to evaluate
the
harms of the low-dose aspirin therapy.
Materials
and
We searched the MEDLINE
Methods data base from 1966 to 2002
to identify studies on aspirin's ability to prevent cardiovascular events and its likelihood of causing adverse effects. In addition, the reference
lists of published
trials of aspirin therapy3-7) and previous
primary prevention reviews8-11) were re-
searched. Our search was limited to articles published in English-language. The criteria as the trials in the metaanalysis
were as follows : (1) randomized
than 1 year follow-up
Japan Japan
period that examined
trials with more aspirin therapy
医療薬学 Vol. 30, No. 12 (2004)
790
in patients without a history of cardiovascular disease, (2) aspirin doses were less than 324 mg per day, (3) data on myocardial infarction, stroke, all-cause mortality and bleeding complications were available. Four randomized trials were identified such as the Physicians' Health Study (PHS), the Thrombosis Prevention Trial (TPT), the Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial (HOT) and the Primary Prevention Project (PPP)4-7).Two large trials that examined the effect of aspirin in patients with diabetes or with stable angina were excluded due to more than 10% of the participants had defined or suspected vascular disease12,13). The British Male Doctors' (BMD) Trial was also excluded because of high dose of aspirin (500 mg per day)3). Results of these randomized clinical trials were combined using a Peto method, and the odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI)14)were estimated. Homogeneity was evaluated by a X2 statistic method, in which the weighted difference of each individual estimate from the pooled one was summed up.
Results Four randomized cluded 47,896
trials, i.e. PHS, TPT, HOT and PPP, in-
patients,
of whom 23,930
3.6 to 6.8 years.
Aspirin
doses were remarkably
different
from 75 to 162.5 mg daily. The HOT and PPP studies included women, and all participants trolled hypertension. Meta-analysis all myocardial
in HOT had well con-
of the 4 trials for the combined infarction
produced
a summary
outcome of OR of 0.64
(95 % CI, 0.56 to 0.74) (Fig. 1). The summary OR and CIs showed significant decrease overall in myocardial infarction. There was no heterogeneity myocardial
in odds ratios between trials for
infarction.
The summary ORs (95 % CIs) for the combined
outcome
of all stroke and all-cause mortality produced by 4 trials were 1.01 (0.86 to 1.19) and 0.94 (0.84 to 1.04), respectively. Significant observed
differences
in each outcome.
in OR and CIs could not be These results
Table 1. Outlines of 4 Randomized Trials of Low-dose Aspirin Therapy in Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. PHS U.S.= Physicians' Health Study ; TPT = Thrombosis Prevention Trial ; HOT =Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial ; PPP= Primary Prevention Project. †mean
were treated with
aspirin. The outlines of these trials are summarized in Table 1. The follow-up periods of these trials were ranging from
age
Fig. 1. Effect of Low-dose Aspirin Therapy on the Incidence of all Myocardial Infarction in 4 Randomized Trials of Primary Prevention. PPP = Primary Prevention Project ; HOT = Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial ; TPT = Thrombosis Prevention Trial ; PHS U.S.= Physicians'Health Study ; OR= odds ratio ; 95 % CI = 95 % confidence interval.
were summarized
医療 薬学 Vol. 30, No. 12(2004)
791
in Fig. 2 and 3. Meta-analysis of the 3 trials (except for PPP) for the combined outcome of hemorrhagic rhage produced
the summary
stroke or intracranial
hemor-
OR of 1.38 (95 % CI, 0.86 to
aspirin therapy
for the prevention
of cardiovascular
nese. Thus, we tried meta-analysis
of aspirin therapy which
2.21) (Fig. 4). We can' t use the PPP trial because of no
used the recommended
data on hemorrhagic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage in it. The summary ORs and CIs of these 3 trials showed no sig-
than 324 mg per day. To our best knowledge,
nificant increase. As shown in Fig. 5, meta-analysis of the 3 trials (except for PHS) for the combined outcome of whole gastrointestinal bleeding
produced
the summary
OR of 2.03 (95 % CI,
events.
However due to the high aspirin doses, the findings from these studies could not provide useful information for Japadaily doses in Japan, which one less this is the first
meta-analysis for the harms of low-dose aspirin therapy. Our results suggest that low-dose aspirin therapy for patients without
a history
of cardiovascular
disease
signifi-
cantly reduces the risk of myocardial infarction, though it has no association with all-cause mortality. However, the re-
1.55 to 2.65). We can' t use the PHS trial because of no data
sults also suggest that it significantly
on gastrointestinal
gastrointestinal bleeding. It is difficult to interpret the overall effect of aspirin on
bleeding
in it. Significant
increasing
in
gastrointestinal bleeding could be detected in the ORs and CIs. There was no heterogeneity in all ORs between trials.
In many foreign countries,
there are numerous
the risk of
stroke due to its subtypes. Data from secondary prevention trials suggest that aspirin not only prevents ischemic strokes but also cause hemorrhagic
Discussion
increases
stroke. The effect of aspirin on
the total incidence of stroke depends on the patient's potentistudies on
ality for risk of each stroke subtype2).
Fig. 2. Meta-analysis of the Effect of Low-dose Aspirin Therapy on all Stroke Events in the 4 Randomized Trials of Primary Prevention. PPP = Primary Prevention Project ; HOT = Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial ; TPT= Thrombosis Prevention Trial ; PHS U.S.= Physicians'Health Study ; OR= odds ratio ; 95 % CI= 95 % confidence interval.
Fig. 3. Meta-analysis of the Effect of Low-dose Aspirin Therapy on All-cause Mortality in the 4 Randomized Trials of Primary Prevention. PPP = Primary Prevention Project ; HOT = Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial ; TPT= Thrombosis Prevention Trial ; PHS U.S.= Physicians'Health Study ; OR = odds ratio ; 95 % CI= 95 % confidence interval.
医療薬学 Vol. 30, No. 12(2004)
792 Point estimates
in PPP and TPT suggested
modest
de-
creases in total strokes in spite of the wide CIs5,7). In HOT,
trointestinal
bleeding
with aspirin use15-18).Derry and Loke15)
no effect of low-dose aspirin on overall rates of stroke was
performed a meta-analysis of trials published up to 1999 that examined the risk for gastrointestinal hemorrhage with long-
shown6). In PHS, tendency
term (>1 year) aspirin use. Twenty
to increase the risk of stroke in
low-dose aspirin-treated patients was observed, but did not achieve statistical significance. Hart and colleagues11) combined data obtained concluded
the 4 primary
prevention
trials')
that aspirin has no effect on ischemic
the- middle-aged, relatively low-risk 1.03 ; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.21).
patients
strokes in
(relative
Although the event rates of low-dose aspirin-exposed ticipants for hemorrhagic
strokes including
and
intracranial
with a total of 66,000 participants
four randomized
trials
and an average follow-up
period of 28 months were identified. Aspirin use increased the OR of gastrointestinal hemorrhage (summary OR, 1.68 ; 95 % CI, 1.51 to 1.88). Stalnikowicz-Darvasi
performed
a
risk,
meta-analysis of 9 trials of low-dose aspirin therapy that had lasted for more than 3 months16) ; the summary OR for all
par-
gastrointestinal 1.75).
hem-
orrhage were higher than those of controls in PHS and TPT,
bleeding
For the primary
events were 1.52 (95 % CI, 1.32 to
prevention
of vascular
disease
such as
these differences did not show statistical significance in any trial4,5). In HOT and PPP, the risk of hemorrhagic strokes
myocardial infarction, we clarified that the low-dose aspirin therapy contributed to significant beneficial effects. These
was
effects were clinically
almost
equal
between
intervention
and
control
important.
The association
between
groups6,7). Hart and colleagues11) pooled the results of the 4
all-cause mortality or overall stroke and the low-dose aspirin
primary prevention studies and estimated that the relative risk for hemorrhagic stroke due to long-term aspirin use was 1.36 (95% CI, 0.88 to 2.1).
therapy
Several systematic
reviews have examined the risk of gas-
can not be elucidated
because
of insufficient
bers of events in the primary prevention trials. more data on hemorrhagic stroke are needed. In conclusion,
our meta-analysis
Fig. 4. Hemorrhagic Stroke or Intracranial Hemorrhage in the 3 Randomized Trials of Low-dose Aspirin Therapy in the Primary Prevention. HOT= Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial ; TPT = Thrombosis Prevention Trial ; PHS =U.S. Physicians' Health Study ; OR = odds ratio ; 95 % CI= 95 % confidence interval.
Fig. 5. Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the 3 Randomized Trials of Low-dose Aspirin Therapy in the Primary Prevention. PPP = Primary Prevention Project ; HOT = Hypertension Optimal Treatment Trial ; TPT -=Thrombosis Prevention Trial ; OR = odds ratio ; 95 % CI= 95 % confidence interval.
suggests
num-
Especially
that the low-
医療 薬学 Vol. 30, No. 12 (2004) dose aspirin therapy for primary prevention appears to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, while it increases the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. In the case of aspirin therapy, even if low-dose aspirin, we should make our effort to avoid the gastrointestinal bleeding.
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