Warfarin Use for AF May Increase Dementia Risk
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are anticoagulated with warfarin are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop dementia than patients taking warfarin for other reasons, according to new research.
It is well known that AF contributes to dementia onset, and previous research has found that patients on anticoagulation therapy have a higher risk for dementia. However, little research has examined the extent to which AF affects dementia risk across all CHADS2 risk categories, regardless of anticoagulation therapy.
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Study: Warfarin May Not Stabilize Atrial Fibrillation Patients
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To conduct their study, researchers assessed the data of 6030 patients without a history of dementia who were chronically anticoagulated with warfarin for any indication.
Included in the study were 3015 patients taking warfarin for AF and 3015 taking warfarin for non-AF reasons.
The patients were also assigned a CHADS2 score, which assesses AF risk, and followed for incident dementia.
After analyzing the data, the researchers found that increasing CHADS2 scores were associated with increased dementia diagnosis.
When the researchers stratified by CHADS2 score, they found that patients with AF were 2 to 3 times more likely to have dementia. The results were similar after adjusting for multiple variations.
“In patients anticoagulated with warfarin, the presence of AF was associated with higher rates of dementia across all CHADS2 score strata,” the researchers concluded. “These data show the independent risk of AF for dementia across multiple disease states that predispose towards cognitive decline.”
—Amanda Balbi
Reference:
Graves KG, May HT, Jacobs V, et al. Abstract 15920: Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher rates of dementia in patients anticoagulated with warfarin. Circulation. 2016;134:A15920. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/134/Suppl_1/A15920. Accessed November 18, 2016.