Antiplatelet therapy in coronary heart disease prevention.

Platelets are central to the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD). An ever-growing number of antiplatelet therapies used in different doses and combinations have helped manage atherothrombosis, both acutely and in primary and secondary prevention. Despite modern therapy, nearly 800,000 individuals suffer annually from an initial coronary event in the United States alone; almost 500,000 experience a recurrent event. This review provides a current appraisal of antiplatelet drug use in CHD prevention and discusses key barriers to achieving its full potential in real-world practice.