PURPOSE: To assess the relationship of aspirin use and ischemic cranial ner
ve palsies among patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension,
METHODS: This retrospective case-control study involved 100 patients with i
schemic cranial nerve palsies in association with diabetes, hypertension, o
r both (palsy cases) and 163 age-matched and sex-matched patients with diab
etes, hypertension, or both but without ischemic cranial nerve palsies (non
palsy control subjects). Comparisons were made with respect to duration of
diabetes, dose and duration of aspirin use, dose and duration of tobacco us
e, and presence of cardiac or cerebrovascular disease.
RESULTS: There were 20 oculomotor, 33 trochlear, 37 abducens, and 10 facial
nerve palsy cases. The median duration of diabetes was 6 years for cases a
nd 7 years for control subjects. There were 34 cases (34%) who had used asp
irin for a mean duration of 5.5 years before the onset of the cranial nerve
palsy and 49 control subjects (30.1%) who had used aspirin for a mean dura
tion of 4.3 years. There were no significant differences between cases and
control subjects for duration of diabetes (P = .94); aspirin use (P = .51),
duration (P = .50), and dosage (P = .89); tobacco use (P = .73) and consum
ption (P = .45); and proportion of cardiac disease (P = .17). Cerebrovascul
ar disease was significantly less common among palsy cases than nonpalsy co
ntrol subjects (P < .001), There was no significant difference in the odds
of a patient having cranial nerve palsy in the aspirin group compared with
the nonaspirin group (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-2.04)
.
CONCLUSION: Aspirin use was not associated with a reduced rate of ischemic
third, fourth, sixth, and seventh nerve palsies among patients with diabete
s mellitus and hypertension. Aspirin appears to be ineffective in preventin
g ischemic third, fourth, sixth, and seventh cranial nerve palsies, Patient
s with ischemic cranial nerve palsy have a significantly lower rate of stro
kes and transient ischemic attacks than patients who have diabetes or hyper
tension but who do not have a history of cranial nerve palsy. (C) 2000 by E
lsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.