Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Despite its wide uses for more than 100 years, knowledge about mechanism of action and therapeutic issues of aspirin are still under discussion. The use of aspirin has been changed from an analgesic, anti-pyretic and anti-inflammatory agent to an anti-thrombotic agent, especially in secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Aspirin has reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 25%. However, the phenomenon of "aspirin resistance" has been described that in 5%-60% of patients aspirin may not achieve adequate efficacy of suppressing platelet activity. The convinced causes of this phenomenon are still unknown. It is probably due to drugs interaction, inadequate dosage and so on. By far the existing studies of aspirin are insufficient to explain all phenomena of aspirin resistance. And the results are not always uniform about the same research. Therefore, the characteristics in different population with aspirin resistance may account for the complexity. It is unrealistic to elucidate all aspirin resistance by only one pathway. More studies are required to investigate the mechanisms in different population respectively. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and the trait of cadiovascular disease, which often relapses and has a long history, aspirin resistance should be considered as collaterals disease. It can be treated with aspirin and traditional Chinese drugs which have the power to strengthen body resistance, reduce phlegm, remove blood stasis and toxic materials from meridians. The problem of aspirin resistance might be solved by this way, because the traditional Chinese medicine has the superiority of selecting appropriate therapeutic methods based on syndrome differentiation for different population and regulating the whole body's function. Subsequently, cadiovascular disease might be effectively prevented.

Key words: aspirin, disease attributes, cardiovascular disease, antithrombotic agents