Antiplatelet therapy in diabetes: efficacy and limitations of current treatment strategies and future directions.

摘要

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes (1). The concomitant presence of multiple classical cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic subjects contributes to enhanced athero-thrombotic risk (2). However, other risk factors may be important such as abnormal platelet function (3). Platelets, in fact, play a key role in atherogenesis, and its thrombotic complications and measures, which lead to blockade of one or multiple pathways modulating platelet activation and aggfegation processes, are pivotal in reducing ischemic risk in diabetic subjects (4). This article reviews currently available antiplatelet agents on ischemic events in diabetic patients, limitations of currently available treatment strategies, and antiplatelet agents currently under clinical development that may potentially overcome these limitations.