TUESDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- The anti-clotting drug
warfarin reduces stroke risk in patients with a heart rhythm
disorder called atrial fibrillation, research shows.
In atrial fibrillation -- the most common type of irregular
heartbeat -- the heart's upper chambers don't pump blood properly,
allowing clots to form that can cause a stroke.
Cleveland Clinic researchers led by Dr. Shikhar Agarwal examined
data from more than 32,000 people who took part in eight studies
that compared warfarin (Coumadin) with newer anti-clotting
medications.
The investigators found that stroke risk was higher among women,
the elderly, patients who had a previous stroke or mini-stroke
(also known as a transient ischemic attack) and patients who had
never taken anti-clotting drugs called vitamin K antagonists.
The study was released online March 26 in advance of publication
in an upcoming print issue of the
Archives of Internal Medicine.
Newer anti-clotting drugs are available and studies have
suggested that some are more effective, safer and easier to use
than warfarin, which must be carefully monitored and can have
serious side effects, such as bleeding. However, these newer drugs
are more expensive, so it's likely that warfarin will continue to
be the most widely used drug for patients with atrial fibrillation,
Agarwal and colleagues said.
A new, promising era in preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation
patients has begun, the authors of an accompanying editorial
said.
While newer anti-clotting drugs appear effective, warfarin
management has also advanced and provides safe, effective and
inexpensive stroke prevention treatment for many patients with
atrial fibrillation, according to Dr. Daniel Singer, of
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Dr. Alan Go, of
Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland.
These improvements in warfarin therapy will likely slow the
final transition to the newer drugs, they suggested.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more
about
atrial fibrillation.