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Muscle cramp drug better at preventing strokes than aspirin, study finds

A drug used to ease cramp is more effective than aspirin at preventing a stroke and has fewer side effects, a study has found.

Researchers discovered that the drug reduced the risk of a stroke by a quarter and the 

risk of dangerous side-effects by a half in patients.

The findings are particularly significant as millions of people take a low dose of aspirin 

daily, as it is known to reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke in people, 

especially if they have already had one.

Taking cilostazol, a drug which prevents clotting and is used to treat muscle cramps, instead would not only be more powerful but also reduce the risk of haemorrhage – one of the major dangers of taking aspirin.

The authors of the study Dr Deepak Bhatt and Dr Dharam Kumbhani of Harvard Medical School, said the trial suggested that cilostazol offered "prevention beyond the protection provided by aspirin".

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in England and Wales, after heart disease and cancer.

An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK each year, of which 67,000 will die.

Early studies have shown that taking a blood thinning drug such as aspirin reduced the chances of having a stroke caused by a blood clot by a quarter – especially if the patient has a history of risk from a stroke.

However, aspirin increases the likelihood of major bleeding, in the brain, stomach or elsewhere in the body, and experts warned that the beneficial effects must be weighed against the risk of harm.

In the study 2757 patients who had already suffered a stroke were split into two roughly equal groups – one of which was given aspirin and the other cilostazol for as long as five years.

During the trial it was found that 2.76 per cent of the cilostazol group suffered a stroke compared to 3.71 per cent of the aspirin group – a 26 per cent reduction.

Severe bleeding occurred in half as many patients taking cilostazol – 0·77 per cent per year – compared to patients taking aspirin – 1·78 per cent per year.

However, non-serious side-effects including headache, diarrhoea, palpitation, and dizziness, were significantly more common in the cilostazol group.

The authors of the study published in the Lancet said that more trials were needed to see that the effect was universal as the trial was carried out in Japan.

Joe Korner, Director of Communications at The Stroke Association said: “Aspirin is a common and effective blood thinning medication given to patients who have suffered a stroke or a mini stroke caused by a blood clot.

"However, as with many medications, aspirin does have side effects in some patients, one of which is that it can cause bleeding. There is therefore a very small increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke (a stroke caused by a bleed in the brain).

"The findings of this study are interesting and it’s positive to see that alternative treatments to Aspirin may be available in the future. We’d be really interested to see the results of further research in larger and more diverse study populations.”

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