Trial shows aspirin doesn’t help protect Type 2 diabetes patients from heart disease

CHICAGO A trial published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association determined that low-dose aspirin as a primary prevention tool against heart disease was ineffective in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The study followed 2,539 Japanese patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes from December 2002 through April 2008 who had no prior incidence of heart disease. A total of 68 heart-disease events occurred in the group taking low-dose aspirin, vs. 86 events among those not taking any aspirin therapy.

Accordingly, the authors of the study concluded that in patients with Type 2 diabetes, low-dose aspirin as a primary prevention did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.

The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a consumer education post on its web site, states that low-dose aspirin has been shown to be helpful when used daily to lower the risk of heart attack, clot-related strokes and other blood flow problems, so long as consumers consult a healthcare professional to talk about the use of low-dose aspirin on a daily basis.