Clopidogrel is a drug that is recommended for people who have recently had a heart attack. However, it is difficult to know whether people continue to take this for the recommended length of time after they are discharged from hospital and, if they choose to stop taking it, what happens to them.

Researchers linked together three sets of data to try to understand more about what happens to people once they are discharged from hospital, after receiving treatment for a heart attack. They linked records of someone’s treatment and prescriptions in hospital with GP data showing what happened to them after discharge. They then linked these to national records of individual deaths.

The research demonstrated that stopping taking clopidogrel is common, and that this is associated with an increased number of heart attacks and death. However, while the research demonstrated an association, it could not prove a causal link. Future research will continue to investigate this.

You can find out more by visiting understandingpatientdata.org.uk