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Use of oral anticoagulants in African-American and Caucasian patients with atrial fibrillation: is there a treatment disparity?

ABSTRACT: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common cardiac arrhythmia, and its prevalence is increasing along with aging in the developed world. This review discusses racial differences in the epidemiology and treatment of AF between African-American and Caucasian patients. Additionally, the effect of race on warfarin and novel oral anticoagulant use is discussed, as well as the role that physicians and patients play in achieving optimal treatment outcomes. Despite having a lower prevalence of AF compared with Caucasians, African-Americans suffer disproportionately from stroke and its sequelae. The possible reasons for this paradox include poorer access to health care, lower health literacy, and a higher prevalence of other stroke-risk factors among African-Americans. Consequently, it is important for providers to evaluate the effects of race, health literacy, access to health care, and cultural barriers on the use of anticoagulation in the management of AF. Warfarin-dose requirements vary across racial groups, with African-American patients requiring a higher dose than Caucasians to maintain a therapeutic international normalized ratio; the novel oral anticoagulants (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban) seem to differ in this regard, although data are currently limited. Minority racial groups are not proportionally represented in either real-world studies or clinical trials, but as more information becomes available and other social issues are addressed, the treatment disparities between African-American and Caucasian patients should decrease.

SUBMITTER: Akinboboye O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4445875 | biostudies-other | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Use of oral anticoagulants in African-American and Caucasian patients with atrial fibrillation: is there a treatment disparity?

Akinboboye Olakunle O

Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare 20150518

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common cardiac arrhythmia, and its prevalence is increasing along with aging in the developed world. This review discusses racial differences in the epidemiology and treatment of AF between African-American and Caucasian patients. Additionally, the effect of race on warfarin and novel oral anticoagulant use is discussed, as well as the role that physicians and patients play in achieving optimal treatment outcomes. Despite having a lower prevalence of AF compare ...[more]

PMID: 26056467

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Project description:OBJECTIVES:Older adult patients are underrepresented in clinical trials comparing non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and warfarin. This subgroup analysis of the ARISTOPHANES study used multiple data sources to compare the risk of stroke/systemic embolism (SE) and major bleeding (MB) among very old patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) prescribed NOACs or warfarin. DESIGN:Retrospective observational study. SETTING:The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and three US commercial claims databases. PARTICIPANTS:A total of 88 582 very old (aged ≥80 y) NVAF patients newly initiating apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin from January 1, 2013, to September 30, 2015. MEASUREMENTS:In each database, six 1:1 propensity score matched (PSM) cohorts were created for each drug comparison. Patient cohorts were pooled from all four databases after PSM. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of stroke/SE and MB. RESULTS:The patients in the six matched cohorts had a mean follow-up time of 7 to 9 months. Compared with warfarin, apixaban (HR = .58; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .49-.69), dabigatran (HR = .77; 95% CI = .60-.99), and rivaroxaban (HR = .74; 95% CI = .65-.85) were associated with lower risks of stroke/SE. For MB, apixaban (HR = .60; 95% CI = .54-.67) was associated with a lower risk; dabigatran (HR = .92; 95% CI = .78-1.07) was associated with a similar risk, and rivaroxaban (HR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.07-1.24) was associated with a higher risk compared with warfarin. Apixaban was associated with a lower risk of stroke/SE and MB compared with dabigatran (stroke/SE: HR = .65; 95% CI = .47-.89; MB: HR = .60; 95% CI = .49-.73) and rivaroxaban (stroke/SE: HR = .72; 95% CI = .59-.86; MB: HR = .50; 95% CI = .45-.55). Dabigatran was associated with a lower risk of MB (HR = .77; 95% CI = .67-.90) compared with rivaroxaban. CONCLUSION:Among very old NVAF patients, NOACs were associated with lower rates of stroke/SE and varying rates of MB compared with warfarin. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1662-1671, 2019.

Project description:INTRODUCTION: Oral anticoagulants (OAs) are significantly more effective than Aspirin in the prevention of cerebrovascular accidents among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Several studies, however, showed OAs to be widely underused in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess the appropriateness of antithrombotic therapy in an Italian population of AF patients. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-five consecutive patients affected by nonvalvular AF participated in the study. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, risk factors for stroke, current prophylactic therapy, and perceived or actual risk factors for bleeding. INR levels were measured. Patients were stratified by their risk for stroke (214 at high risk, 21 moderate, 20 low), and their prophylactic therapy was analysed in light of international antithrombotic therapy recommendations. After therapy adjustment, 203 of our patients were followed-up for the occurrence of cerebrovascular events for an average of 27 months. RESULTS: Upon admission, 35% (n=75) of patients in the high-risk category were either taking no antithrombotic prophylaxis or were being treated with Aspirin. In addition, 38 of 139 patients receiving OAs had an INR<2. Thus, a total of 113 (52.8%) high-risk subjects were not receiving adequate antithrombotic therapy. Of high-risk patients not treated with OAs, 46.7% reported no perceived or actual risk factors for bleeding. The annual incidence of cerebrovascular accidents was 3.8% among 163 high-risk patients assigned to OA treatment, and 4.5% among 39 patients given Aspirin treatment. Relative to expected annual incidence rates, cerebrovascular risk in anticoagulated patients was reduced by about 70%. CONCLUSIONS: Underuse of OAs is still common in Italy, and much of it cannot be explained by the concern for haemorrhage. Support and training in the complex task of anticoagulation management may help to extend this efficacious prophylactic therapy to all patients who may benefit from it.

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Use of oral anticoagulants in African-American and Caucasian patients with atrial fibrillation: is there a treatment disparity?

Publications

Use of oral anticoagulants in African-American and Caucasian patients with atrial fibrillation: is there a treatment disparity?

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