Aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus: A new perspective

Although the improved control of hyperglycaemia and other cardiovascular risk factors was associated with a parallel decline of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and death in both type 1 (T1) and type 2 (T2) diabetes mellitus (DM), the burden of death and hospitalization for ASCVD remains significantly higher by about 2-fold versus the matched non-DM population. Life style interventions, such as physical activity and healthy diet, and drugs, such as statins and low-dose aspirin, may have beneficial effects by targeting one or multiple pathways responsible for accelerated atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications. The debate on the benefit-risk balance of primary cardiovascular prevention with aspirin has been especially vivacious over the past two years, following the publication of three large randomized, placebo-controlled, primary prevention trials in different settings, spanning from healthy elderly to DM subjects. The aim of this review is to discuss the pathophysiological, pharmacological and clinical evidence supporting the appropriate use of low-dose aspirin in DM, within the context of the current multifactorial approach to primary cardiovascular prevention.