Apixaban pips warfarin in extended use comparison
Extended-duration treatment with apixaban beyond 90 days significantly reduces hospitalisation for recurrent VTE rates compared to warfarin (HR 0.69).
A retrospective cohort study of 64,642 patients previously hospitalised for VTE compared outcomes for those on apixaban, rivaroxaban and warfarin.
The study found no difference in subsequent hospitalisation rates for recurrent VTE with rivaroxaban compared to warfarin (HR 0.87) or apixaban compared to rivaroxaban (HR 0.80).
There were no significant differences in rates of hospitalisation for major bleeding or all-cause mortality.
“Results from this investigation provide some evidence that extending treatment after 90 days with apixaban vs warfarin may be beneficial,” it said.
“More data are needed for definitive conclusions about the relative benefits and risks of apixaban compared with rivaroxaban and of rivaroxaban vs warfarin, because this study had limited statistical power to detect small, but clinically important, differences between these treatments.”
Read more in JAMA
Older athletes lack awareness of cardiac risk: cardiologist
Cardiovascular risk factors and cardiac symptoms are common among older athletes, a study of Australian participants in Masters footballers has found
In a review of 153 amateur players, mostly male, and average age 49 years more than one in three (37%), had hypercholesterolaemia 20% had hypertension, 41% were overweight, 13% were obese 8% were smokers.