Quality of life and patient satisfaction in patients with atrial fibrillation on stable vitamin K antagonist treatment or switched to a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant during a 1-year follow-up: A PREFER in AF Registry substudy.
Arch Cardiovasc Dis
; 111(2): 74-84, 2018 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28942115
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are being introduced for stroke prevention in non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation (AF), and promise to be accepted better than Vitamin K Antagonists (VKAs) by patients, improving their Quality of Life (QoL).AIM:
To assess to what extent patient-related factors influence decisions to switch from a VKA to a NOAC.METHODS:
The PREFER in AF Registry collected data at baseline in 2012 - at the beginning of NOAC prescriptions - and at 1-year follow-up, in 6412 patients in seven Western European countries. QoL and patient satisfaction questionnaires (EQ-5D-5L and/or PACT-Q2) were completed in 3777 patients at both visits. Data were compared across categories of patients on stable treatment with a VKA (i.e. continuously over the previous 12 months) (n=2102) or recently switched (within 12 months) from a VKA to a NOAC (n=213) during a 1-year follow-up, allowing a snapshot of factors influencing the switch at a time when NOACs were being introduced into the market.RESULTS:
Compared to patients on stable treatment with a VKA, switched patients were similar in terms of age, sex, body mass index and other risk factors, but had lower prevalences of hypertension and heart valve dysfunction, and a lower rate of use of concomitant treatment with antiplatelet/anti-inflammatory agents; they also had a lower CHA2DS2-VASc score. Among 25 features investigated, switched patients more often reported bruising or bleeding, complained about bruising, were dissatisfied with the anticoagulant treatment, and reported mobility problems and anxiety/depressive traits.CONCLUSIONS:
At the beginning of NOAC prescriptions, European doctors tended to switch from VKAs to NOACs those patients at lower risk than "non-switchers". Complaints about bruising or bleeding, dissatisfaction with treatment, mobility problems and anxiety/depression traits appear to be related to - and may have influenced - the choice to switch from a VKA to a NOAC.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Quality of Life
/
Atrial Fibrillation
/
Vitamin K
/
Blood Coagulation
/
Patient Satisfaction
/
Stroke
/
Drug Substitution
/
Anticoagulants
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Patient_preference
Limits:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Arch Cardiovasc Dis
Journal subject:
ANGIOLOGIA
/
CARDIOLOGIA
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article