scholarly journals Real-world effects of medications for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation: protocol for a UK population-based non-interventional cohort study with validation against randomised trial results

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e042947
Author(s):  
Emma Maud Powell ◽  
Ian J Douglas ◽  
Usha Gungabissoon ◽  
Liam Smeeth ◽  
Kevin Wing

IntroductionPatients with atrial fibrillation experience an irregular heart rate and have an increased risk of stroke; prophylactic treatment with anticoagulation medication reduces this risk. Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been approved providing an alternative to vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin. There is interest from regulatory bodies on the effectiveness of medications in routine clinical practice; however, uncertainty remains regarding the suitability of non-interventional data for answering questions on drug effectiveness and on the most suitable methods to be used. In this study, we will use data from Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE)—the pivotal trial for the DOAC apixaban—to validate non-interventional methods for assessing treatment effectiveness of anticoagulants. These methods could then be applied to analyse treatment effectiveness in people excluded from or under-represented in ARISTOTLE.Methods and analysisPatient characteristics from ARISTOTLE will be used to select a cohort of patients with similar baseline characteristics from two UK electronic health record (EHR) databases, Clinical Practice Research Datalink Gold and Aurum (between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2019). Methods such as propensity score matching and coarsened exact matching will be explored in matching between EHR treatment groups to determine the optimal method of obtaining a balanced cohort.Absolute and relative risk of outcomes in the EHR trial-analogous cohort will be calculated and compared with the ARISTOTLE results; if results are deemed compatible the methods used for matching EHR treatment groups can then be used to examine drug effectiveness over a longer duration of exposure and in special patient groups of interest not studied in the trial.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the Independent Scientific Advisory Committee of the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Results will be disseminated in scientific publications and at relevant conferences.

TH Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 03 (04) ◽  
pp. e316-e324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raza Alikhan ◽  
Cinira Lefevre ◽  
Ian Menown ◽  
Steven Lister ◽  
Alex Bird ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is little evidence on how the occurrence of a bleed in individuals on vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) impacts the risk of subsequent bleeds, and thromboembolic and ischemic events. Such information would help to inform treatment decisions following bleeds. Objective To estimate the impact of bleeding events on the risk of subsequent bleeds, venous thromboembolism (VTE), stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) among patients initiating VKA treatment for new-onset nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods We conducted an observational cohort study using a linked Clinical Practice Research Datalink—Hospital Episode Statistics dataset. Among a cohort of individuals with NVAF, the risk of clinically relevant bleeding, VTE, stroke, and MI was compared between the period prior to the first bleed and the periods following each subsequent bleed. The rate and cost of general practitioner (GP) consultations, prescriptions, and hospitalizations were also compared across these periods. Results The risk of clinically relevant bleeding events was observed to be elevated at least twofold in all periods following the first bleeding event. The risk of VTE, stroke, and MI was not found to differ according to the number of clinically relevant bleeding events. The rate and cost of GP consultations, GP prescriptions, and hospitalizations were increased in all periods relative to the period prior to the first bleed. Conclusions The doubling in the risk of bleeding following the first bleed, taken alongside the stable risk of MI, VTE, and stroke, suggests that the risk–benefit balance for VKA treatment should be reconsidered following the first clinically relevant bleed.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Martinez ◽  
Christopher Wallenhorst ◽  
Anja Katholing ◽  
Ben Freedman

Introduction: Oral anticoagulants (OAC) are under-utilised in atrial fibrillation (AF). Even patients prescribed an OAC may stop taking the drug soon after treatment initiation, particularly with Vitamin K Antagonists (VKA). The Non-VKA OAC (NOAC) drugs offer greater ease of use, and persistence is likely to be higher. Aim: To determine persistence on treatment in the first year after inception of NOACs and VKA in incident AF in real-world clinical practice. Methods: We studied 24,467 OAC-naïve patients with incident non-valvular AF diagnosed between Jan 2011-Feb 2014, mean age 73.9 ± 12.5, 45.6% female, in a very large UK primary care database (Clinical Practice Research Datalink, CRPD), with full linkage to medication use. Follow up was for a mean of 1.2 ± 0.9 years. The proportion of OAC initiation in the 90 days after first-time AF and of those remaining on OAC one year after initiation were estimated using competing risk survival analyses censoring for use of alternative OAC. Results: NOAC drugs prescribed included Rivaroxaban, Dabigatran and Apixaban. Overall, 12,579 (51.4%) were commenced on an OAC: 11,888 on VKA and 691 on NOAC, within 90 days after incident AF. Amongst all OAC users, the proportion taking NOAC increased from 0.3% in 2011 to 12.3% in 2014. Persistence, defined as the proportion still taking the OAC after one year, declined over the 12 months to 54.3% for VKA and 80.7% for NOAC (Table). Persistence was significantly greater for NOAC than VKA at all time points. Conclusions: There is a progressive fall in VKA use amongst OAC naïve patients with AF in real-world practice to only 54% at 1 year. This contributes to under-utilisation of anticoagulation in AF and would result in an increased rate of stroke. Persistence was significantly improved with NOACs compared to VKA, and this factor alone could lead to reduced stroke burden with increasing uptake of the NOACs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1325.2-1326
Author(s):  
M. Chamurlieva ◽  
E. Loginova ◽  
T. Korotaeva ◽  
Y. Korsakova ◽  
E. Gubar ◽  
...  

Background:Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is heterogeneous in its clinical presentation and disease course, but many patients (pts) develop a destructive form of arthritis. Psoriasis (PsO) precedes arthritis by an average of 7 years. [1]. Theory of transition from PsO to PsA has been proposed recently [2]. But association between skin disease severity and joint disease are still unclear.Objectives:to evaluate association between bone erosion, PsO duration, skin and nail disease severity in PsA pts based on data from clinical practice (RU-PsART cohort).Methods:737 (M/F=350/387) PsA pts fulfilling the CASPAR criteria were included. Mean age 47.4±12.7 years (yrs), PsA duration 55[17;120] mos., PsO duration 165[74.5;292] mos., mean DAPSA 23.3[14;36.9] mos., HAQ-DI - 0.98 [0.5;1.38], CRP - 7.4 [2.1;18] mg/l. All pts underwent standard clinical examination (tender joins count (TJC)/68, swelling joints count (SJC)/66, CRP (mg/l), DAPSA, dactylitis, enthesitis by LEI + Plantar Facia (PF), HAQ-DI. Mild disease was defined as body surface area (BSA)≤10%, moderate to severe as BSA>10%. The presence/absent of nail PsO was evaluated. X-ray of feet and hand were done in 622 out of 737 pts. The one-factor model of logistic regression was used to identify a group of features that are associated with achievement MDA. M±SD, Me [Q25; Q75], Min-Max, %, t-test, Pierson-χ2, Manna-Whitney tests, ORs with 95% CI were performed. All p<0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance.Results:PsO precedes of PsA by an average of 9.2 years. BSA≤10% was found in 615 out of 672 pts (91.5%), BSA>10% - in 57 out of 672 pts (8.5%). Nail PsO were seen in 230 out of 737 (31.2%). Bone erosion was found in 237 out of 622 of pts (38.1%). Among these pts nail PsO were seen in 67 out of 237 pts (28.3%). Enthesitis found in 236 out of 737 pts (42.1%), dactylitis – in 197 out 731 pts (27%), axial PsA – in 315 out of 731 pts (43.1%). Bone erosion significantly associated with PsO duration more than 5 yrs., skin and nail PsO severity, high PsA activity by DAPSA, axial manifestation and duration of PsA > 36 mos. (Figure 1).Figure 1Forest plot of factors associated with bone erosion in PsA pts.Conclusion:In our cohort the majority of PsA pts had mild PsO preceded PsA on average of 9.2 yrs. Bone erosion was found in 30% of PsA pts which associated with PsO duration, skin and nail disease severity as well as with PsA activity. Early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention within a “window of opportunity” are very important for improving outcomes and prevent structural damage in PsA.References:[1]Tillett W, et al. Interval between onset of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis comparing the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink with a hospital-based cohort. Rheumatol. 2017; 56, 2109–2113[2]Scher JU, et al. Preventing psoriatic arthritis: focusing on patients with psoriasis at increased risk of transition. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2019;15(3):153-166. doi: 10.1038/s41584-019-0175-0. PMID: 30742092.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.


Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. e179-e187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliya Sinyavskaya ◽  
Serge Gauthier ◽  
Christel Renoux ◽  
Sophie Dell'Aniello ◽  
Samy Suissa ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo investigate whether fungus-derived statins are associated with a lower risk of incident Alzheimer disease (AD) compared with synthetic statins using real-world clinical practice data.MethodsWe identified a population-based retrospective cohort of patients aged ≥60 years newly prescribed a statin between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2012, and followed until March 31, 2015, using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Statins were consecutively classified according to their type, lipophilicity, and potency. For each group, we calculated the crude AD incidence rates per 1,000 person-years. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for propensity score deciles were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) of incident AD associated with different statin categories.ResultsOver the 18-year study period, we identified 465,085 statin users, including 7,669 patients who developed AD during 2,891,268 person-years of follow-up (incidence rate 2.65 [95% CI 2.59–2.71] per 1,000 person-years). Compared to synthetic, fungus-derived statins were associated with an increased risk of AD (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.15). Lipophilic statins also were associated with higher AD risk (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.09–1.27) compared to hydrophilic statins, while statin potency did not modify the risk of AD (adjusted HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.98–1.08). The risk was further reduced in sensitivity analyses.ConclusionFungus-derived and lipophilic statins were not associated with decreased incidence of AD compared to synthetic and hydrophilic statins. The modest variations in the risk of incident AD observed between statin characteristics needs to be evaluated in future studies on their possible heterogeneous neuroprotective effect.


Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. heartjnl-2021-319672
Author(s):  
Sharon Louise Cadogan ◽  
Emma Powell ◽  
Kevin Wing ◽  
Angel Yun Wong ◽  
Liam Smeeth ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the association between oral anticoagulant type (direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) vs vitamin K antagonists (VKAs)) and incident dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsUsing linked electronic health record (EHR) data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink in the UK, we conducted a historical cohort study among first-time oral anticoagulant users with incident non-valvular AF diagnosed from 2012 to 2018. We compared the incidence of (1) clinically coded dementia and (2) MCI between patients prescribed VKAs and DOACs using Cox proportional hazards regression models, with age as the underlying timescale, accounting for calendar time and time on treatment, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, clinical comorbidities and medications.ResultsOf 39 200 first-time oral anticoagulant users (44.6% female, median age 76 years, IQR 68–83), 20 687 (53%) were prescribed a VKA and 18 513 (47%) a DOAC at baseline. Overall, 1258 patients (3.2%) had GP-recorded incident dementia, incidence rate 16.5 per 1000 person-years. DOAC treatment for AF was associated with a 16% reduction in dementia diagnosis compared with VKA treatment in the whole cohort (adjusted HR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73 to 0.98) and with a 26% reduction in incident MCI (adjusted HR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.84). Findings were similar across various sensitivity analyses.ConclusionsIncident EHR-recorded dementia and MCI were less common among patients prescribed DOACs for new AF compared with those prescribed VKAs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke A McGuinness ◽  
Julian PT Higgins ◽  
Venexia M Walker ◽  
Neil M Davies ◽  
Richard M Martin ◽  
...  

Background: There is some evidence that circulating blood lipids play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia. These modifiable risk factors could be targeted by existing lipid-regulating agents, including statins, for dementia prevention. Here, we test the association between lipid-regulating agents and incidence of dementia and related conditions in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), an United Kingdom-based electronic health record database. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using routinely collected CPRD data (January 1995 and March 2016). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, allowing for a time-varying treatment indicator, were used to estimate the association between seven lipid-regulating drug classes (vs. no drug) and five dementia outcomes (all-cause, vascular and other dementias, and probable and possible Alzheimer's disease). Results: We analyzed 1,684,564 participants with a total follow-up of 10,835,685 patient-years (median: 5.9 years (IQR:2.7-9.7)). We found little evidence that lipid-regulating agents were associated with incidence of Alzheimer's disease (probable HR:0.98, 95%CI:0.94-1.01; possible HR:0.97, 95%CI:0.93-1.01), but there was evidence of an increased risk of all-cause (HR:1.17, 95%CI:1.14-1.19), vascular (HR:1.81, 95%CI:1.73-1.89) and other dementias (HR:1.19, 95%CI:1.15-1.24). Evidence from a number of control outcomes indicated the presence of substantial residual confounding by indication (ischaemic heart disease HR: 1.62, 95%CI: 1.59-1.64; backpain HR: 1.04, 95%CI: 1.03-1.05; and Type 2 diabetes HR: 1.50, 95%CI: 1.48-1.51). Conclusion: Lipid-regulating agents were not associated with reduced Alzheimer's disease risk. There was some evidence of an increased the risk of all-cause, vascular and other dementias, likely due to residual confounding by indication.


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