Blood thinning agents that one must be wary of

WITH an ageing population and with advances in medicine, more people are taking blood thinning drugs daily for the prevention and treatment of stroke and heart disease. A common question is whether taking an aspirin a day is useful. Before commencing on these drugs, it is important to understand whether blood thinning agents are safe and what the precautions are to prevent bleeding complications.

Types of blood thinning agents

Blood thinning agents can be broadly divided into two groups. The first, termed anti-platelet drugs, encompasses all the drugs that prevent clot formation by preventing blood platelets from clumping together. When platelets clump together, a biological reaction is activated and a clot is formed. This is frequently the mechanism for a heart attack. In a heart attack, the inner lining of the channel at the site of the narrowed segment of the artery may tear ("plaque rupture" ) and the body reacts by activating the platelets to clump together at the site of the tear with subsequent formation of a blood clot blocking the heart artery.