FROM ATVB/PVD 2015
Obese patients on warfarin may be at greater risk of bleeding than those of normal weight, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology/Peripheral Vascular Disease Scientific Sessions 2015.
Researchers followed 863 patients attending an anticoagulation clinic for 1 year and found that obesity (body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2) was associated with a statistically significant 84% increase in the risk of major bleeds, such as gastrointestinal, intracerebral, and retroperitoneal hemorrhage.
The study also showed that increasing obesity increased bleeding risk; there was a 30% increase in bleeding risk for patients with class I obesity but a 93% increase in patients with class III obesity.
“This result suggests that BMI plays a role in bleeding events in patients on warfarin [and] future studies are needed to understand the mechanism by which obesity increases bleeding risk for patients on warfarin, and whether similar risk exists for the novel oral anticoagulants,” said Dr. Adedotun A. Ogunsua of the University of Massachusetts, Worcester, and coauthors.
There were no conflicts of interest disclosed.
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