Appropriate Use of Aspirin in the Primary and Secondary Prevention:
Results From the ASSOS Study
Abstract
Objective: Indications and appropriateness of aspirin use have not been
well investigated in Turkey. Therefore, the aim of this study is to
investigate the prescription patterns and appropriateness of aspirin in
a real-world clinical setting. Methods: The ASSOS study is a
cross-sectional, multicenter registry involving consecutive cardiology
patients who were using aspirin. Patients were divided into two groups
according to the use of aspirin; primary prevention and secondary
prevention group. The indication of aspirin use was evaluated according
to 2016 the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and 2016 the United
States Preventative Services Task Force (USPTF) guidelines in the
primary prevention group. Results: A total of 5007 patients (mean age
62.15± 11.05, 39% female) were enrolled. The primary prevention group
included 1132 (22.6%) patients and the secondary prevention group
included 3875 (77.4%) patients. Of the 1132 patients, inappropriate use
of aspirin was determined in 100% of the patients according to the ESC
guidelines, and 71 % of the patients according to the USPTF guidelines.
Conclusion: Although there are considerable differences between the
USPTF and the ESC guidelines with respect to recommendations for aspirin
use in primary prevention, inappropriate use of aspirin in Turkey is
frequent in real-world practice for both guidelines.