, Oğuzhan Çelik 2
, Cem Çil 2
, Osman Karaarslan 3
, Tolga Doğan 4
, Mücahit Yetim 3
, Ramazan Asoğlu 5
, Yunus Çelik 6
, Sedat Kalkan 7
, Erkan Demirci 8
, Emine Altuntaş 9
, Gökay Taylan 10
, Emrah Küçük 11
, Zafer Küçüksu 12
, Onur Aslan 13
, Murat Civan 14
, Özcan Başaran 2
, Murat Bitekar 2
2Deparment of Cardiology, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Training and Research Hospital, Muğla, Turkey
3Deparment of Cardiology, Hitit University Erol Olçok Training and Research Hospital, Çorum, Turkey
4Deparment of Cardiology, Bursa İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey
5Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Adıyaman University, Adıyaman, Turkey
6Department of Cardiology, Kırıkkale Yüksek İhtisas Hospital, Kırıkkale, Turkey
7Department of Cardiology, Pendik State Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
8Department of Cardiology, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey
9Deparment of Cardiology, Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
10Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Trakya University, Edirne, Turkey
11Department of Cardiology, Kızıltepe State Hospital, Mardin, Turkey
12Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Erzincan University, Erzincan, Turkey
13Department of Cardiology, Tarsus State Hospital, Mersin, Turkey
14Department of Cardiology, Nişantaşı University Bahçelievler Vital Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Background: The Appropriateness of Aspirin Use in Medical Outpatients: A Multicenter, Observational Study trial has been the largest study ever conducted among patients in Turkey regarding aspirin treatment. In the subgroup analysis of the hypertensive group of the Appropriateness of Aspirin Use in Medical Outpatients: A Multicenter, Observational Study trial, we aimed to evaluate the physicians’ adherence to current guidelines regarding their aspirin treatment preferences.
Materials and Methods: The Appropriateness of Aspirin Use in Medical Outpatients: A Multicenter, Observational Study trial is a cross-sectional and multicenter study conducted among 5007 consecutive patients aged ≥18 years. The study population consisted of outpatients on aspirin treatment (80-300 mg). The patient data were obtained from 30 different cardiology clinics of 14 cities from all over Turkey. In this subgroup analysis, patients were divided into 2 groups: the hypertensive group (n=3467, 69.3%) and the group without hypertension (n=1540, 30.7%) according to the 2018 European Society of Cardiology/ European Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension.
Results: Aspirin use for primary prevention was higher in patients with hypertension compared to patients without hypertension [328 (21.3%); 1046 (30.2%); P <.001]. Treatment with a dose of 150 mg aspirin (n=172, 5%) was mostly preferred by internists for hypertensive patients (n =226, 6.5%); however, a daily dose of 80-100 mg aspirin therapy (n=1457, 94.6%) was mostly prescribed by cardiologists (n=1347, 87.5%) for patients without hypertension.
Conclusion: Aspirin was found to be used commonly among patients with hypertension for primary prevention despite the current European Society of Cardiology Arterial Hypertension Guideline not recommending aspirin for primary prevention in patients with hypertension.