Safety of the Combination of Intensive Cholesterol-Lowering Therapy with Oral Anticoagulation Medication in Elderly Patients with Atrial Fibrillation A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is very high in the elderly, and often oral anticoagulation (OAC) is indicated to prevent thromboembolism. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of combining intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy with OAC in elderly patients...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDrugs & aging Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 585 - 593
Main Authors Enajat, Morteza, Teerenstra, Steven, van Kuilenburg, Janet T., van Sorge-Greve, Aty H. N., Albers-Akkers, Marjo T. H., Verheugt, Freek W. A., Pop, Gheorghe A. M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cham Springer International Publishing 01.01.2009
Adis International
Springer Nature B.V
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Summary:Background The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is very high in the elderly, and often oral anticoagulation (OAC) is indicated to prevent thromboembolism. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of combining intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy with OAC in elderly patients with AF. Methods In a randomized, double-blind trial, 34 patients received OAC plus atorvastatin 40 mg/day and ezetimibe 10 mg/day versus placebo over 1 year. Dose adjustments of OAC served as an indicator of an interaction between HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) and OAC. Safety was evaluated by the occurrence of bleeding and a rise in AST, ALT and creatine phosphokinase. Results Compared with a 6-month pre-intervention period, the mean daily dose±standard error of OAC was 4.4±1.5% lower in the treatment group (p=0.003) and virtually the same in the placebo group (change from baseline: −0.1±1.3%, p=0.96). The mean daily dose of OAC stabilized after 3 months. In the 6-month post-intervention period, OAC dosing showed no statistically significant change from baseline: −1.9±1.9% in the placebo arm and −2.6±2.1% in the intervention arm. Conclusion We conclude that in elderly AF patients treated with OAC, intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy (atorvastatin 40 mg/day and ezetimibe 10 mg/day) is well tolerated. No increased risk in bleeding was found.
ISSN:1170-229X
1179-1969
DOI:10.2165/10558450-000000000-00000