Beschreibung
Platelets play a pivotal role in the pathomechanism of inflammation and atherosclerosis and are mainly involved in initiation of acute thrombotic events. In the last decades the role of platelets as a toehold for pharmacological therapy for primary and secondary prophylaxis as well in the treatment of acute vascular events has been increasingly recognized.
Novel antiplatelet substances have therefore been developed and introduced into clinical routine. Other substances targeting platelet receptors like the class of thrombin receptor antagonists are currently under investigation and promise efficient use in defined patient collectives. Although current antiplatelet standards have been proven to be effective in reducing major atherothrombotic complic-ations especially in interventional medicine, there has been cumulative evidence that there is a relevant variability of antiplatelet drug responsiveness which is linked to cardiovascular prognosis. Different mechanisms are involved in the phenomenon of non- or poor-responsiveness ranging from genetic polymorphisms, clinical risk factors, disease conditions and drug-drug interactions. Thus, it is increasingly recognized that "one-size-fits-all" antiplatelet therapy is not sufficient and tailored therapeutic approaches are currently evaluated to treat non-responsiveness to standard platelet inhibitors. Additionally, due to epidemiological developments and technical and medical improvements a growing number of patients with a high risk of thrombotic events undergo surgical and interventional procedures. Thus, interdisciplinary medicine is increasingly challenged to provide these high risk patients with sufficient antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapy avoiding life-threatening bleeding at the same time. Thus, in the light of recent research the concept of a personalized antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy is gaining relevance and will importantly contribute to the individual prognosis.
With the new release of Blood Platelets &8211; Clinical Relevance we aim to address these current issues from a clinical perspective and convey knowledge about the recent developments in antiplatelet therapy to the reader.
