Risk factors, interventions and therapeutic agents in the prevention of atherosclerosis-related ischaemic diseases.

Of the major risk factors for atherosclerosis, high factor VII and fibrinogen levels, genetic predisposition, gender and age cannot be influenced. Reduction of high blood pressure reduces the cerebral but not the coronary vascular risk and correction of dyslipidaemia correlates with cardiovascular risk. Other major risk factors (tobacco consumption, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and diabetes) can also be modified. Aspirin in doses of approximately 300 mg/day may be recommended for the primary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI), but only in those patients with a moderate to high risk of cardiovascular disease. Aspirin reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal MI by about 50% and also decreases the overall mortality rate among patients with unstable angina. A lower dose of aspirin (150 mg/day) also reduces mortality by 23% in the acute phase of MI. In doses of 300 mg/day, aspirin is useful in the secondary prevention of MI and reduces the overall mortality rate by 15%. Various antiplatelet agents, including aspirin (alone or combined with dipyridamole) and ticlopidine, have proved useful in the prevention of thrombosis in aorto-coronary grafts, provided treatment begins at the latest 6 hours after surgery. The usefulness of antiplatelet drugs has been well established in the prevention of immediate reocclusion following coronary angioplasty, but not in the prevention of late reocclusion. Aspirin and ticlopidine are also beneficial in extracorporeal circulation techniques. In patients with a synthetic cardiac valve prosthesis, antivitamin K-anticoagulants are still indispensable lifelong, but their antithrombotic effect can be reinforced by dipyridamole or aspirin. Diuretics probably provide the best primary protection against cerebrovascular accidents, although medium doses of aspirin may be considered in elderly people at high risk of such accidents. Aspirin (alone or combined with dipyridamole) and ticlopidine may be recommended for the secondary prevention of cerebral ischaemic accidents. Aspirin (with or without dipyridamole) and ticlopidine reinforce the treatment of obliterative arterial disease in the lower limbs.