Abstract
Cardiovascular disease, particularly coronary artery disease (CAD), remains the leading
cause of mortality and morbidity in industrialized countries. Platelet activation
and aggregation at the site of endothelial injury play a key role in the processes
ultimately resulting in thrombus formation with vessel occlusion and subsequent end-organ
damage. Consequently, antiplatelet therapy has become a mainstay in the pharmacological
treatment of CAD. Several drug classes have been developed over the last decades and
a broad armamentarium of antiplatelet agents is currently available. This review portrays
the evolution of antiplatelet therapy, and provides an overview on previous and current
antiplatelet drugs and strategies.
Keywords
Coronary artery disease - antiplatelet therapy - aspirin - P2Y12 inhibitors - glycoprotein
Ilb/Illa inhibitors - protease-activated receptor 1 antagonists