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ABSTRACT: Background
The uptake rate of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOAC) for the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) was far lower in the Netherlands (NL) compared to Belgium (BE). Also, patients on VKA in NL were treated with a higher target international normalized ratio (INR) range of 2.5 to 3.5.Objectives
To explore the effect of these differences on thromboembolism (TE) and bleeding.Methods
Data from the GARFIELD-AF registry was used. Patients with new-onset AF and ?1 investigator-determined risk factor for stroke were included between 2010 and 2016. Event rates from 2 years of follow-up were used.Results
In NL and BE, 1186 and 1705 patients were included, respectively. Female sex (42.3% vs 42.2%), mean age (70.7 vs 71.3 years), CHA2 DS2 -VASc (3.1 vs 3.1), and HAS-BLED score (1.4 vs 1.5) were comparable between NL and BE. At diagnosis in NL vs BE, 72.1% vs 14.6% received vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and 17.8% vs 65.5% NOACs, varying greatly across cohorts. Mean INR was 2.9 (±1.0) and 2.4 (±1.0) in NL and BE, respectively. Event rates per 100 patient-years in NL and BE, respectively, of all-cause mortality (3.38 vs 3.90; hazard ratio [HR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-1.15), ischemic stroke/TE (0.82 vs 0.72; HR 1.14, 95% CI 0.62-2.11), and major bleeding (2.06 vs 1.54; HR 1.33, 95% CI 0.89-1.99) did not differ significantly.Conclusions
In GARFIELD-AF, despite similar characteristics, patients on anticoagulants were treated differently in NL and BE. Although the rate of major bleeding was 33% higher in NL, variations in bleeding, mortality, and TE rates were not statistically significant.
SUBMITTER: Seelig J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7756514 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Seelig Jaap J Hemels Martin E W MEW Xhaët Olivier O Bongaerts Maarten C M MCM de Wolf Axel A Groenemeijer Björn E BE Heyse Alex A Hoogslag Pieter P Voet Joeri J Herrman Jean-Paul R JR Vervoort Geert G Hermans Walter W Wollaert Bart B Boersma Lucas V A LVA Hermans Kurt K Lucassen Andreas A Verstraete Stefan S Adriaansen Henk J HJ Mairesse Georges H GH Terpstra Willem F WF Faes Dirk D Pieterse Mathijs M Virdone Saverio S Verheugt Freek W A FWA Cools Frank F Ten Cate Hugo H
Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH 20200925 12
<h4>Background</h4>The uptake rate of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOAC) for the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) was far lower in the Netherlands (NL) compared to Belgium (BE). Also, patients on VKA in NL were treated with a higher target international normalized ratio (INR) range of 2.5 to 3.5.<h4>Objectives</h4>To explore the effect of these differences on thromboembolism (TE) and bleeding.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the GARFIELD-AF registry was used. Patients with new-o ...[more]