Trends in anticoagulation in Australia

For various reasons, people with Alzheimer’s disease are less likely to be treated with oral anticoagulants. A team based in Australia and Finland has recently explored the incidence and prevalence of warfarin and direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) amongst a large population of older people with AD and people without that diagnosis. Prescribing data for 356,000 people aged ≥65 years dispensed warfarin or DOACs during July 2013-June 2017 were analyzed. Oral anticoagulant prescribing increased from 8% in people with AD and 9% in the general population to 12% in both groups over the three year period. DOAC prevalence increased quite considerably in both groups, but warfarin use declined. The research found that the introduction of the DOAC drugs has coincided with increased anticoagulation rates in people with Alzheimer’s disease, essentially equalizing anticoagulation rates for older people with and without Alzheimer’s disease. The prescription of the new drugs will continue to impact on this important medication safety issue. Read more here