Role of antiplatelet therapy in ischemic stroke – a review

Stroke is one of the leading cause of disability and death. Stroke is of two types ,ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Of the two major forms of stroke, ischemic stroke is the most common accounting upto 85% of stroke cases. Ischemic stroke is a sudden loss of blood to the brain which results in deprivation of oxygen and other nutrients. Hemorrhagic stroke results when the blood vessels in the brain becomes weak and ruptures. Each year, about 795,000 people will experience a new or recurrent stroke. It is more common in men when compared to women. Classic signs of stroke are weakness in face, arms & legs, difficulty speaking, vision disturbances, headache, confusion. Antiplatelet therapy remains mainstay in the prevention of stroke. Antiplatelets aim to prevent recuurence and deterioration of stroke. They act by blocking the activation pathways of platelets. Commonly used antiplatelets are aspirin, clopidogrel, aspirin plus dipyridamole, cilostazol. Each of these drugs act through different mechanism and share some common adverse events such as gastrointestinal bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage.