Antiplatelets in stroke prevention: the MATCH trial. Some answers, many questions and countless perspectives.

Antiplatelet drugs have an established efficacy in the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. The recent results of the CAPRIE, CURE, and CREDO studies formed the rationale for the MATCH, designed to test whether the association of clopidogrel and aspirin was better than clopidogrel alone for the prevention of vascular events among high-risk ischemic cerebrovascular patients. Although the benefits were outweighed for a higher bleeding risk in the combination group, this study will provide important insight for upcoming trials in other to determine what populations might mostly benefit from these drugs for the secondary prevention of stroke in the future. 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes