Abstract 200: Self-Reported Patient Characteristics Among Atrial Fibrillation Patients Naïve to Warfarin Therapy, Lapsed on Warfarin Therapy, or Currently Receiving Warfarin Therapy

Abstract

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of cardiac dysrhythmia and a risk factor for stroke. Guidelines recommend antithrombotic therapy among AF patients for stroke prevention. Warfarin, an oral vitamin K antagonist, is currently the most commonly used medication for stroke prevention among patients with AF. The purpose of this study was to describe patient-reported characteristics of atrial fibrillation patients treated with or without warfarin therapy. Methods: A survey of patients with AF in the United States was administered. Patients ≥55 years of age with a current diagnosis of AF qualified for survey participation. Participants completed an approximately 50-minute online survey during 12/10-12/28/2010. Survey questions addressed a variety of topics including, but not limited to, patient demographics, health status, and AF treatment. The data were weighted on demographic characteristics to represent the real world population of AF patients. Weighted results percentages are reported. Results: The survey was administered to 803 patients with AF. Fifty-six percent of the patients were male, mean age was 71 years, and 88% were Caucasian. Approximately 42% of patients were currently receiving warfarin, 20% were lapsed users, and 38% were naïve to warfarin. Time since AF diagnosis, as well as CHA2DS2VASc scores, were similar across the 3 patient groups, regardless of warfarin treatment status. Specifically, approximately two-thirds of patients in each group had a CHA2DS2VASc score of ≥3, indicating strong candidacy for anticoagulant therapy. Approximately 61% of the patients lapsed on warfarin and 57% of the patients naïve to warfarin reported currently using aspirin alone for AF treatment. Conclusions: Despite similar stroke risk among the surveyed AF patients, their stroke prevention therapies were vastly different. The high proportion of patients using aspirin alone is worrisome, as findings in a recent large registry indicated that the net clinical benefit for aspirin is not positive at any level of stroke risk. The patient-reported data from this survey highlight the need for consistent stroke risk assessment and effective anticoagulant prophylaxis among AF patients.