Inhibitory effect of acetylsalicylic acid on platelet function in patients with completed stroke or reversible ischemic neurologic deficit.

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of different doses of acetylsalicylic acid on platelet aggregation. Among inpatients of the National Taiwan University Hospital, 236 cases of completed stroke and seven cases of reversible ischemic neurologic deficit that were diagnosed by computed tomography of the brain and that had not ingested acetylsalicylic acid or acetylsalicylic acidlike drugs for greater than 2 weeks before admission were selected for this study. Thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha were measured by radioimmunoassay, threshold concentration of adenosine diphosphate was measured by Born's method, and circulating platelet aggregates were measured by the method of Wu and Hoak. Various single doses of acetylsalicylic acid (75, 300, or 600 mg) or 300 mg acetylsalicylic acid every 6 hours for four doses or one dose of 300 mg acetylsalicylic acid with 75 mg dipyridamole significantly suppressed the mean plasma thromboxane B2 concentrations and elevated the mean adenosine diphosphate threshold concentrations. Abnormal plasma thromboxane B2 concentrations, adenosine diphosphate threshold concentrations, or circulating platelet aggregate ratios were significantly normalized after administration of these regimens. The effects were not significantly different among treatment groups. Forty milligrams of acetylsalicylic acid seemed to have less platelet-inhibitory effect. A single dose of 75 mg acetylsalicylic acid significantly inhibited platelet hyperfunction and effectively corrected the abnormal plasma thromboxane B2 concentrations, adenosine diphosphate threshold concentrations, and circulating platelet aggregate ratios. Higher doses did not enhance the inhibitory effect. In addition, this single dose of acetylsalicylic acid did not significantly suppress plasma 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. We conclude that 75 mg acetylsalicylic acid per day is adequate to inhibit platelet hyperfunction.