Aspirin Prevents Heart Attacks in People with Diabetes

An aspirin a day may help keep your heart healthy—especially if you have diabetes. Diabetes increases your chance for heart attack and stroke. Research shows taking aspirin may help reduce these risks.

It works like this: High blood sugar can damage parts of the body, including the heart. Platelets travel through the blood vessels to help form blood clots after an injury occurs. That’s a good thing because this limits the loss of blood. But when a group of platelets form clots inside the blood vessels, over time, they damage the blood vessels. Damaged or blocked blood vessels can’t supply the right amount of oxygen and nutrients the heart needs. This can eventually lead to a heart attack or stroke.

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Medical Reviewer: Medical Reviewer: Gerald W. Smetana, MD Last Annual Review Date: Last Annual Review Date: August 30, 2010 © 2013 Healthgrades, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Healthgrades, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement.

Indications and Usage for Lantus® (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection)

Prescription Lantus® is a long-acting insulin used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes and adults and children (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes for the control of high blood sugar. It should be taken once a day at the same time each day to lower blood glucose.

Do not use Lantus® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.

Important Safety Information for Lantus® (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection)

Do not take Lantus® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients in Lantus®.

You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®. Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your healthcare provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.

Do NOT dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Lantus® must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible. Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with others.

The most common side effect of insulin, including Lantus®, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious. Some people may experience symptoms such as shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Severe hypoglycemia may be serious and life threatening. It may cause harm to your heart or brain. Other possible side effects may include injection site reactions, including changes in fat tissue at the injection site, and allergic reactions, including itching and rash. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life threatening.

Tell your doctor about other medicines and supplements you are taking because they can change the way insulin works. Before starting Lantus®, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including if you have liver or kidney problems, are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed.

Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin pen. Please talk to your healthcare provider about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that accompanies the pen.

Please click here or the link below for the full prescribing information for Lantus®

• Prescribing Information

US.GLA.12.05.111 © 2012 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, A SANOFI COMPANY

In addition, people with diabetes tend to have “sticky” platelets. They stick more easily to the blood vessel walls and gather more readily than platelets in people who don’t have the disease. This may explain why both men and women with diabetes are more prone to having heart disease. Studies have shown that aspirin prevents the platelets from sticking to the sides of the blood vessels.

Aspirin can prevent heart attacks and strokes in adults with heart disease and for those with risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. As little as 77 milligrams of aspirin, which is the amount in a “baby” aspirin can help. Generally, an adult with diabetes can take as much as one adult-strength 325-milligram tablet.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes who have had a heart attack or suffered a stroke take an enteric-coated aspirin daily in this dosage range. The enteric coating prevents the aspirin from breaking down in the stomach, which can cause stomach upset, a common side effect of aspirin use. It is also best to take aspirin with food. But always talk to your doctor before taking a new medicine—even aspirin therapy.

If you have the following, you should not take aspirin:

• An allergy to aspirin

• Gastrointestinal bleeding or other bleeding problems

• Active liver disease

Those taking certain medications should not take aspirin. Aspirin use has not been studied in people with diabetes younger than age 30. More research is needed on the use of aspirin in relation to diabetes.