Aspirin but not vitamin E prevented cardiovascular events in patients at risk
QUESTION: In patients with ≥1 cardiovascular risk factor but no history of cardiovascular disease, do aspirin and vitamin E prevent cardiovascular events?
Design
Randomised (allocation concealed), unblinded, 2 × 2 factorial trial with a mean follow up of 3.6 years.
Setting
315 general practices and 15 hospital hypertension units in Italy.
Patients
4495 patients (mean age 64 y, 58% women) aged ≥50 years who had ≥1 major cardiovascular risk factor: age ≥65 years, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and family history of myocardial infarction (MI) before 55 years of age in ≥1 parent or sibling. Exclusion criteria were treatment with antiplatelet drugs, chronic use of anti-inflammatory agents or anticoagulants, contraindication to aspirin, disease with a poor short term prognosis, or psychological or logistic problems known to affect compliance. Follow up was 92%.
Intervention
Patients were …
