Platelet inhibitors limit platelet functions to prevent blood clots and are used to treat thrombotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. They can cause hemorrhage, but the risk is low. Low-dose aspirin is commonly used for cardiovascular health, while prescription drugs include Plavix, Ticlid, Pletal, and Persantine. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors are used during angioplasty to prevent clotting reactions.
Platelet inhibition is an action of some drugs. There are different types of platelet inhibition for different medical needs. Basically, platelet inhibitors limit certain functions of platelets, the clotting agents in the blood. They are mainly used to prevent thrombosis or blood clots, thus preventing heart attack and stroke. Unlike anticoagulants, which also prevent blood from clotting, platelet inhibitors are effective inside the arteries.
Platelets are one of the three major components of blood, along with red blood cells and white blood cells. Platelets are responsible for hemostasis or cessation of bleeding. Hemostasis has three phases: vasoconstriction, in which the blood vessel narrows to reduce blood flow; blockage of a break in the blood vessel wall by a platelet plug; and thrombosis, which is the formation of a blood clot that will keep the wound closed until it heals.
Hemostasis and platelets are therefore extremely important in wound repair and healing. Without them, even minor injuries would be a serious medical matter. However, in some medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, platelets are too numerous or too aggressive and can lead to blood clots forming needlessly inside blood vessels. These can obstruct blood flow and can be extremely serious if they reach the heart or brain, where they can lead to a heart attack or stroke respectively.
Platelet inhibition is used to prevent two conditions: thrombotic cerebrovascular disease and thrombotic cardiovascular disease. Patients at risk include those with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis or clogged arteries, or a history of heart attack or stroke. The main medical risk associated with taking platelet inhibitors is hemorrhage or excessive bleeding, but the incidence of this complication is relatively low. In patients taking low-dose aspirin as a platelet inhibitor, for example, only one in 800 will experience major bleeding each year.
Sometimes, platelet inhibitors are taken regularly to promote cardiovascular health, while in other cases, they are used briefly in high doses to aid in surgery or to dilate blood vessels to treat pain. Low-dose aspirin, which can be obtained over the counter, is usually the first-line treatment for maintaining cardiovascular health. Prescription drugs for platelet inhibition include Plavix, Ticlid, Pletal, and Persantine. Other platelet inhibitors, known as glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, are given intravenously during angioplasty, a surgery in which a narrowed blood vessel is widened from the inside using a balloon. These drugs use platelet inhibition to prevent a clotting reaction to surgery, which could cause further complications.
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