Aspirin underuse
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
"Improvements in reported aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention were modest in the past decade and substantial treatment gaps have persisted, particularly for moderate-risk patients, including individuals with diabetes," reports Randall Stafford, MD/PhD, Stanford University, at the Society of General Internal Medicine annual meeting in Chicago May 23. Analyzing medical survey data over a 10-year period, Stafford found use by diabetics grew only from 4% to 6% between 1992 and 2001. Among high-risk patients, growth was modest as well, from 21% to 24%. "Targeted interventions may be warranted in patients with diabetes and/or multiple major CHD risk factors, as well as in at-risk subpopulations where aspirin use is lower than average"...