Inappropriate Use of Aspirin in Real-Life Cardiology Practice: Results from the Appropriateness of Aspirin Use in Medical Outpatients: A Multicenter, Observational Study (ASSOS) Study

Background: Indications and appropriateness of aspirin use have not been well investigated in Turkey. Aims: To investigate the prescription patterns and appropriateness of aspirin in a real-world clinical setting. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The Appropriateness of Aspirin Use in Medical Outpatients: A Multicenter, Observational Study (ASSOS) is a cross-sectional and multicenter study that included 5007 consecutive patients aged 18 or over who presented to 30 different cardiology outpatient clinics from 14 cities throughout Turkey. Only patients using aspirin (80-325 mg) were included. The study population was divided into 2 groups regarding the use of aspirin: primary prevention (PP) group and secondary prevention (SP) group. The indication of aspirin use was evaluated following the 2016 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the 2016 United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPTF) guidelines in the PP group. Results: A total of 5007 patients (mean age 62.15 +/- 11.05, 39% female) were enrolled. The PP group included 1132 (22.6%) patients, and the SP group included 3875 (77.4%) patients. Of the 1132 patients, inappropriate use of aspirin was determined in 100% of the patients according to the ESC guidelines, and 71% of the patients according to the USPTF guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed age OR: 0.98 CI (0.97-0.99) P=.037, smoking OR: 0.60 CI (0.44- 0.82) P=.001, heart failure OR: 2.11 CI (1.14-3.92) P=.017, hypertension OR: 0.51 CI (0.36-0.74) P<.001, diabetes mellitus OR: 0.34 CI (0.25-0.47) P<.001, oral anticoagulant use OR: 3.01 CI (1.10-8.25) P=.032, and female sex OR: 2.73 CI (1.96-3.80) P<.001 were independent predictors of inappropriate aspirin use in PP patients. Conclusion: Although there are considerable differences between the USPTF and the ESC guidelines with respect to recommendations for aspirin use in PP, inappropriate use of aspirin in Turkey is frequent in real-world practice for both guidelines. Besides, heart failure, oral anticoagulant use, and the female sex of the patients were independent predictors of inappropriate use of aspirin.

Automated summary

The study investigated the prescription patterns and appropriateness of aspirin use in Turkey, finding that inappropriate use of aspirin is common in real-world practice according to both ESC and USPTF guidelines. Independent predictors of inappropriate aspirin use included heart failure, oral anticoagulant use, and female sex.