Klin Farmakol Farm. 2013;27(1):13-17

Anticoagulant therapy in geriatric patients with atrial fibrillation

Veronika Slezáková¹, Zoltán Varga¹, Mária Potočárová², Michal Božík³, Andrej Dukát⁴, Ján Murín², Miriam Petrová¹, Martin Wawruch¹

¹ Ústav farmakológie a klinickej farmakológie, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava

² I. interná klinika, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava

³ Klinika úrazovej chirurgie, Univerzitná Nemocnica Bratislava

⁴ II. interná klinika, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the utilization of warfarin in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We assessed

the prescription of anticoagulants in relation to risk factors for stroke.

Methods: The utilization of antithrombotics was analyzed in 292 patients aged ≥ 65 years with a CHADS2 score ≥ 2 and without any contraindications

for anticoagulant therapy. The patients were hospitalized at geriatric wards of three regional hospitals during a period from

1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009. We compared the frequency of risk factors for stroke between users and non-users of warfarin.

Results: Warfarin was prescribed in 110 (37.7 %) patients with AF. The risk factors for stroke associated with significantly higher warfarin

prescription included heart failure (p = 0.039), diabetes mellitus (p < 0.001) and arterial vascular disease (p = 0.008). Women were more

frequently present in the group of warfarin non-users (p = 0.010). We found no difference in the CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores in

the groups of patients with and without warfarin prescription.

Conclusion: Elderly patients with AF require special attention regarding the prescription of anticoagulant therapy that, in elderly persons,

is of proven benefit as it is in younger age groups.

Keywords: elderly patients, atrial fibrillation, stroke, warfarin

Published: May 15, 2013  Show citation