Antiplatelet Drugs Attenuate Progression of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes

• Published in: Thrombosis research 2000-02, Vol.97 (4), p.239-245
• Main Authors: Kodama, Mineo, Yamasaki, Yoshimitsu, Sakamoto, Ken'ya, Yoshioka, Rieko, Matsuhisa, Munehide, Kajimoto, Yoshitaka, Kosugi, Keisuke, Ueda, Nobuyuki, Hori, Masatsugu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Antiplatelet drug; Arteriosclerosis - etiology; Arteriosclerosis - prevention & control; Asymptomatic; Biological and medical sciences; Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system; Carotid Arteries - pathology; Carotid Artery Diseases - etiology; Carotid Artery Diseases - prevention & control; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - physiopathology; Diabetic Angiopathies - etiology; Diabetic Angiopathies - prevention & control; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Intima-media thickness; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Tunica Intima - drug effects; Tunica Intima - pathology; Tunica Media - drug effects; Tunica Media - pathology; Type 2 diabetes
• ISSN: 0049-3848; 1879-2472
• DOI: 10.1016/S0049-3848(99)00168-1

The intima-media thickness of the carotid artery has been established as a surrogate of definite atherosclerosis in subjects with high risk of vascular events. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term antiplatelet therapy in attenuating progression of the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery of subjects with type 2 diabetes. Subjects who had an intima-media thickness over the threshold of the normal subjects but showed no symptoms of vascular events were randomly divided into groups given antiplatelet drugs [ticlopidine ( n=34) or a small dose of aspirin ( n=40)] or no drugs ( n=74). For the follow-up period (3.0±0.06 years), the subjects not given antiplatelet drugs showed a significantly higher progression of intima-media thickness (0.067±0.009 mm/year) than those given ticlopidine (0.034±0.013 mm/year) or aspirin (0.033±0.010 mm/year). Stepwise multivariant regression analysis showed that long-term administration of ticlopidine or aspirin significantly reduced the progression of intima-media thickness of diabetic subjects by 0.041 mm/year or 0.032 mm/year, respectively. These data indicated that despite differences of their pharmacological mechanisms, antiplatelet drugs could attenuate the progression of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery wall of asymptomatic type 2 diabetics who had early-stage carotid atherosclerosis.