Patients with atrial fibrillation and a low risk of thromboembolic events: prescription rate of anticoagulant therapy according to a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Aim. To conduct a retrospective analysis of the prevalence of main risk factors for thromboembolic events (TEEs) and the prescription rate of anticoagulant therapy (ACT) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and a low CHA2DS2-VASc score in certain Russian regions using artificial intelligence technologies.Material and methods. The information was obtained from the Webiomed predictive analytics platform. The sample included 87601 patients with AF aged 18-74 years (men, 49,5%, mean age, 59,3±12,3 years, mean CHA2DS2-VASc score, 2,3±1,5) who received care in medical organizations in 6 constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the period from 2016 to 2019. CHA2DS2VASc score of 1 and 2 in a man and a woman, respectively, was regarded as a moderate risk, while score of 0 and 1, respectively, as a low risk of TEEs.Results. There were 22337 (25,5%) patients with AF at moderate risk and 18366 (21,0%) patients at low risk of TEEs. With a moderate risk of TEEs, CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 in 70,4% of cases was determined by hypertension, while in 15,7% — by age 65-74 years, in 9,0% — by heart failure, in 2,9% — by myocardial infarction and/or peripheral arterial disease, in 2,0% — by type 2 diabetes. In patients with AF and a moderate risk of TEEs, ACT was prescribed in 4927 (22,1%) patients, while with a low risk of TEEs — in 1833 (10,0%). Among patients with AF and a high risk of TEEs (n=46898, 53,5%), 1216 (24,6%) patients with ischemic stroke (IS) did not initially have a high CHA2DS2-VASc risk.Conclusion. In clinical practice, among patients with AF aged 18-74 years, there are quite often individuals with CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 not associated with sex. These patients need an individualized approach in ACT, which is the basis for prospective studies in order to optimize the assessment of cardioembolic IS risk, as well as to analyze the efficacy and safety of long-term ACT.