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New research led by Nita A. Limdi at the University of Alabama at Birmingham reports that the presence of chronic kidney disease is a major factor affecting the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant medications taken to prevent blood clots. The findings, reported in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, shine a spotlight on the effects of chronic kidney disease on the outcomes of patients taking traditional anticoagulants or newer direct-acting oral anticoagulants.
Patients with cardiovascular disease are frequently prescribed anticoagulants to prevent blood clots from forming and potentially leading to stroke or systemic embolism. The new study looked at traditional anticoagulants such as warfarin, and a newer class of direct-acting anticoagulants, such as apixaban, dabigatran and others.