No April Fool’s Joke here. A new study shows combining the clot-preventing drug clopidogrel (Plavix) with aspirin is an effective substitute treatment for people at high risk of stroke and heart attack because of the abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation but who cannot take the recommended therapy. Say the authors:

In conclusion, we found that treatment with clopidogrel plus aspirin, as compared with aspirin alone, reduced the rate of major vascular events among patients with atrial fibrillation who were at increased risk for stroke and for whom therapy with a vitamin K antagonist [warfarin] was considered to be unsuitable. This reduction was primarily due to a reduction in the risk of stroke. There was a significant increase in the risk of major hemorrhage.

Bottom line: if the extremely effective warfarin preparation carries more risk than benefit, then this combination is good for patients who cannot tolerate warfarin and who aren’t at a risk for falls (because of the greater bleeding risk with Plavix and aspirin together than with either alone). | LINK

UPDATE: Probable April Fool’s treatment for hay fever here.

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