| Medical studies indicate that not
everyone benefits equally from low dose aspirin. In fact some
people have been reported to be aspirin “resistant” but
increasing studies indicate that it may be a question of aspirin
therapy “failure”. Because aspirin is known to reduce the risk
of heart attack and stroke by helping stop platelets from
sticking together, the Aspirin Response Test allows the to
determine if you are benefiting optimally from your aspirin
regimen. |
| According to reports in the medical
literature, 10% to 40% of patients taking aspirin were not
receiving the desired result. |
| Outcome studies have demonstrated that
patients with a poor response to aspirin therapy have a higher
incidence of second heart attacks, strokes or even death when
compared to patients with a good response. |
| Increasing the amount of aspirin you
take may cause an increase in unwanted side effects such as
stomach discomfort or gastrointestinal bleeding. More
importantly, the aspirin may be doing its job but there is some
other factor overcoming its benefit which may require an
additional medication. Only your physician should decide if it
is safe to change your aspirin dosage. |
| When an individual’s platelets become
activated they release a chemical called Thromboxane A2 (TxA2)
which causes more platelets to become activated and stick
together. This may cause formation of a blood clot. The ART test
measures a metabolite of TxA2 called 11-dehydro thromboxane B2
which is excreted in the urine. When an individual is benefiting
from their aspirin therapy the level of 11-dehydroTxB2 in the
urine is very low. |
