Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Thromboembolism has been reported as a consequence of severe COVID-19. Although warfarin is a commonly used anticoagulant, it acts by antagonising vitamin K, which is low in patients with severe COVID-19. To date, the clinical evidence on the impact of regular use of warfarin on COVID-19-related thromboembolism is lacking.Methods
On behalf of NHS England, we conducted a population-based cohort study investigating the association between warfarin and COVID-19 outcomes compared with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). We used the OpenSAFELY platform to analyse primary care data and pseudonymously linked SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing data, hospital admissions and death records from England. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for COVID-19-related outcomes comparing warfarin with DOACs in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. We also conducted negative control outcome analyses (being tested for SARS-CoV-2 and non-COVID-19 death) to assess the potential impact of confounding.Results
A total of 92,339 warfarin users and 280,407 DOAC users were included. We observed a lower risk of all outcomes associated with warfarin versus DOACs [testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, HR 0.73 (95% CI 0.68-0.79); COVID-19-related hospital admission, HR 0.75 (95% CI 0.68-0.83); COVID-19-related deaths, HR 0.74 (95% CI 0.66-0.83)]. A lower risk of negative control outcomes associated with warfarin versus DOACs was also observed [being tested for SARS-CoV-2, HR 0.80 (95% CI 0.79-0.81); non-COVID-19 deaths, HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.76-0.83)].Conclusions
Overall, this study shows no evidence of harmful effects of warfarin on severe COVID-19 disease.
SUBMITTER: OpenSAFELY Collaborative
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8525065 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Wong Angel Y S AYS Tomlinson Laurie A LA Brown Jeremy P JP Elson William W Walker Alex J AJ Schultze Anna A Morton Caroline E CE Evans David D Inglesby Peter P MacKenna Brian B Bhaskaran Krishnan K Rentsch Christopher T CT Powell Emma E Williamson Elizabeth E Croker Richard R Bacon Seb S Hulme William W Bates Chris C Curtis Helen J HJ Mehrkar Amir A Cockburn Jonathan J McDonald Helen I HI Mathur Rohini R Wing Kevin K Forbes Harriet H Eggo Rosalind M RM Evans Stephen J W SJW Smeeth Liam L Goldacre Ben B Douglas Ian J IJ
Journal of hematology & oncology 20211019 1
<h4>Background</h4>Thromboembolism has been reported as a consequence of severe COVID-19. Although warfarin is a commonly used anticoagulant, it acts by antagonising vitamin K, which is low in patients with severe COVID-19. To date, the clinical evidence on the impact of regular use of warfarin on COVID-19-related thromboembolism is lacking.<h4>Methods</h4>On behalf of NHS England, we conducted a population-based cohort study investigating the association between warfarin and COVID-19 outcomes c ...[more]