Aspirin may not prevent clots in diabetics

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HOUSTON, June 27 (UPI) -- Many patients with type 2 diabetes may be aspirin-resistant and the drug may not protect them against blood clots, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Dr. Subhashini Yaturu of Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., said low doses of aspirin are recommended for the prevention of blood clots that cause strokes and heart attacks, and it is recommended patients with diabetes take a daily low-dose aspirin.

In some cases, patients are resistant to aspirin's anti-clotting effects. Resistance can be identified by measuring the level of a chemical called 11-dehydro-thromboxane beta-2, or 11DhTx2, that is formed during the clotting process, Yaturu said.

In the clinical study, investigators found 53 percent of 142 male study participants with type 2 diabetes were aspirin-resistant. In addition, 11DhTx2 levels were greater among patients with a longer duration of diabetes and increased urinary levels of a particular protein, called micro albumin, an indicator of early kidney disease in diabetes.

At the same time, 11DhTx2 concentrations were not associated with insulin levels, insulin resistance or certain markers of inflammation.

A surprising finding was that patients with relatively higher blood-pressure readings and a greater waist circumference had lower 11DhTx2 measurements, compared to other patients, Yaturu told The Endocrine Society's 94th annual meeting in Houston.