Doctors Re-Examine Blood Thinners to Preve... ( One area of concern we expressed bas...)

Doctors Re-Examine Blood Thinners to Prevent Strokes

Date:1/11/2009

"One area of concern we expressed based upon our previous data was use of warfarin in elderly persons (those over 80 years old), where the risk of bleeding may be higher," he added. "Since the publication of our paper on this topic in Neurology, an important study was published which compared aspirin to warfarin for stroke prevention in elderly persons with atrial fibrillation. The study showed that warfarin was superior to aspirin, even taking into account bleeding risk. This was reassuring and should make physicians and patients more comfortable using warfarin in this setting."

In its guidelines for stroke prevention that were updated in 2006, the American Heart Association noted that clinical trials "have firmly established the value of antithrombotic [anti-clotting] therapies for reducing the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation."

For patients taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation, the heart association recommends following a checklist that includes telling your doctor immediately about unusual bleeding or bruising, alerting other doctors and your dentist about your warfarin use, and keeping in close contact with your doctor.

Flaherty also recommended that people taking warfarin routinely undergo a test that measures the blood's ability to clot.

It's all about measuring the benefits with the risks, he said.

More information

To learn more about stroke and stroke prevention, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

SOURCES: Matthew Flaherty, M.D., department of neurology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; American Heart Association; Jan. 9, 2007, Neurology; Aug. 11, 2007, The Lancet

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