A new, observational study suggests that aspirin only marginally increases the bleeding risk in patients with diabetes mellitus, perhaps reflecting impaired platelet inhibition. Inconclusive evidence from small, randomized trials and mechanistic studies reinforces the need for larger trials to determine the relative cardioprotective benefits and bleeding risks of aspirin in these patients.
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Acknowledgements
The author thanks C. Baigent (University of Oxford, Oxford, UK) and L. A. García Rodríguez (Centro Español de Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica, Madrid, Spain) for providing information about unpublished analyses. The expert editorial assistance of D. Basilico (Catholic University School of Medicine, Rome, Italy) is also gratefully acknowledged.
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The author is or has been a consultant for AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Merck; he is or has been a member of the speakers' bureau of AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Eli Lilly; and he has received a grant or research support from Bayer.
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Patrono, C. Does aspirin increase the risk of major bleeds?. Nat Rev Cardiol 9, 495–496 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2012.113
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2012.113
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