Warfarin Increases Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Atrial fibrillation patients were more likely to suffer a stroke within the first month of initiating treatment with warfarin when compared with those not using any antithrombotic therapy, according to the results of a recent study.

A study published in the European Heart Journal finds that atrial fibrillation patients were more likely to suffer a stroke within the first month of initiating treatment with warfarin when compared with those not using any antithrombotic therapy. Data on stroke incidence in patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation was analyzed and each case of stroke was randomly matched with 10 controls. Stroke risk was significantly higher among patients who had begun taking warfarin within 30 days when compared with patients who had not used any antithrombotic therapy for at least 1 year. Patients taking warfarin had a lower risk for stroke when they had been taking the drug longer than 1 month.

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