ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We examined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of aspirin resistance in the Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We studied 181 Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were taking aspirin (100 mg/day for > or = 3 months) and no other antiplatelet agents. The VerifyNow System was used to determine aspirin responsiveness. Aspirin resistance was defined as an aspirin reaction unit (ARU) > or = 550. We measured the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) to evaluate arteriosclerosis. The anthropometric parameters, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profiles, hemoglobin A1c, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), homocysteine, and microalbuminuria were measured in each patient. RESULTS: The prevalence of aspirin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients was 9.4% (17 of 181). Those who had aspirin resistance were older than those without aspirin resistance (64.6 +/- 10.6 vs. 59.8 +/- 8.1, P = 0.024). Aspirin resistance was not associated with fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, hsCRP, homocysteine, microalbuminuria, ABI, CAVI, and body mass index. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of aspirin resistance in the Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was 9.4%. Although aspirin resistance was associated with old age, we could not find any good clinical parameter to predict it. Therefore, aspirin resistance should be evaluated in diabetic patients taking aspirin for prevention of cardiovascular complications.