Patrono C, Garcia Rodriguez LA, Landolfi R, Baigent C.

Low-dose aspirin for the prevention of atherothrombosis.

Atherosclerosis, the major cause of ischemic coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease, is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which immune mechanisms interact with metabolic risk factors to initiate, propagate, and activate vascular lesions. Arterial thrombosis, an acute complication that develops on the surface of a ruptured atheromatous plaque or as a consequence of endothelial erosion, may cause myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke. Platelets are key cellular components of arterial occlusive thrombi and may participate in the development and progression of atheromatous plaques. Platelets are also vital components of hemostasis, the physiologic process that arrests hemorrhage after tissue . . .[Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words]