Cardiovascular Journal of Africa: Vol 29 No 6 (November/December 2018)

CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 29, No 6, November/December 2018

AFRICA

361

with diabetes, the level of MA was significantly increased, and

higher MA levels and diabetes were independent predictors

for unfavourable one-year functional outcomes of recurrent

ischaemic events. Our study also showed that there was a positive

correlation between HbA

level and MA-ADP, but the relevance

reflected by this correlation and to the outcomes of elderly male

officers merit further observation.

Balancing the risk of bleeding and thrombosis is the first

consideration of an antiplatelet therapy in elderly patients

with atherosclerotic diseases. To establish an individualised

antiplatelet therapy, an accurate, rapid and convenient method

for platelet function testing is urgently needed. As a method

of detecting platelet function, TEG can guide the decision of

antiplatelet drug options in elderly patients.

There are some limitations to this study. First, it is important

to note that the number of subjects and the levels of baseline in

each group were different. This may have affected our results and

further research is needed. Second, the efficacy of antiplatelet

therapy in the aspirin group was approximately 45% in our study,

which may suggest aspirin resistance.

Another study has shown

that ADP-induced platelet aggregation was strongly associated

with platelet endothelial aggregation receptor-1 (PEAR1) genetic

variations in Chinese patients, which may partly explain the

different effects of aspirin and clopidogrel on antiplatelet

therapy.

Lastly, whether the prognosis represented by TEG is

consistent with clinical outcomes remains to be validated by a

larger prospective, clinical study in the future.

Conclusion

This quality-controlled TEG procedure was an efficient method

to evaluate the efficacy of antiplatelet therapies in the clinic.

White blood cell and platelet counts, eGFR and HbA

levels

may influence the efficacy of antiplatelet therapy.

The authors thank the subjects for agreeing to participate in the study. This

work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China

for Youth (No. 81500316) and the National Key Research Program of China

(2017YFC0840100 and 2017YFC0840103).

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