Stroke risk 'higher at start of warfarin treatment'

Conclusion This study has found that warfarin was associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke during the first 30 days of treatment. After 30 days of treatment, warfarin was associated with a decreased risk of stroke. However, this study has a number of limitations that should be considered: All information was from patient records, which means that it wasn't subject to recall bias, but the information may not be complete – we do not know if, for example, people took the medication they were prescribed. There may be other factors (confounders) that explain the association seen. In particular, the baseline stroke risk may be higher among people treated with warfarin compared with people not treated with any anticoagulant. Although the researchers tried to adjust for a number of factors that are associated with stroke risk, the possibility that people receiving warfarin differed from people not receiving it remains. Warfarin has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation, but the results of this study suggest that care should be taken when treatment is started. Further research will be required to confirm these findings and whether anything can be done to reduce the risk of stroke during the first 30 days. The researchers suggest that a heparin (another anticoagulant) bridging strategy at the initial phase of treatment could be investigated. Read the latest official guidance on atrial fibrillation...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Source Type: news