Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Very Elderly People With Atrial Fibrillation: Efficacy and Safe Enough?

BACKGROUND: Four direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been licensed for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF); efficacy and safety have been shown in clinical trials, but its real use in elderly and very elderly people is still unclear. AIM: To evaluate the impact of DOACs in our patients (pts) aged ≥75 years and switched from other treatments. METHODS: From September 2013 to May 2015, all consecutive pts aged ≥75 years, males and females, in treatment for AF and switched to DOACs are considered in this study. Follow-up (FU) was scheduled after 3 and 6 months by phone and after 12 months by visit. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-two pts in treatment for AF were switched to DOACs, among these 143 (61.6%) pts aged ≥75 years (mean age, 81 years). The medium FU was 9.6 months, during which 4 minor bleedings in 4 different pts and 1 clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding were reported, all treated with temporary cessation or reduction in DOACs. Two strokes occurred in pts in treatment with dabigatran 110 mg, both resolved without serious sequelae; 2.8% of pts had nausea, itching, vomiting, or discomfort, half of these returned to acenocumarol, and the remaining switched to other DOAC. Four pts died, but the deaths were not related to anticoagulation. CONCLUSION: As reported for general people, also in our elderly population, DOACs resulted in a good alternative to old antithrombotic therapies. Efficacy and safety associated with a higher compliance by pts bring these drugs to be the first choice for long-term anticoagulation.

Retinal vein occlusion: evaluation of "classic" and "emerging" risk factors and treatment.

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most common retinal vein disease and an important cause of blindness and visual morbidity. Systemic risk factors are commonly associated with RVO, while unclear it is the role of the thrombophilic and coagulation disorders. To evaluate "classic" and "emerging" risk factors, and to establish a good treatment for RVO. Fifty patients, 31 males and 19 females, with RVO were selected for our study. RVO patients were divided into two groups: those with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and those with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). All patients were subjected to an anamnestic investigation and were tested for thrombophilia, coagulation disorders and hyperlipidemia. Treatment and prophylaxis were evaluated. We have named "classic" the systemic risk factors associated with RVO and "emerging" those risk factors, haemostasis related, not clearly associated with RVO. RVO occurs more commonly in patients aged over 50. "Emerging" risk factors were more frequent in CRVO, "classic" in BRVO. Hyperhomocysteinemia is the most common "emerging" risk factor related to RVO. 71.4% of tested patients had hypercholesterolemia. Treatment with LMWH would appear to be safe and effective, but the small number of patients considered not allow us a definitive evaluation of its efficacy. Although our study has shown the correlation between RVO and the "emerging" risk factors, more studies are necessary to better know the real role of thrombophilic and coagulation disorders in this disease and to determine a specific protocol for the treatment and prophylaxis of RVO.

WITHDRAWN: Retinal vein occlusion: Risk factors evaluation, treatment and prophylaxis.

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