Trends in oral anticoagulant use in patients with atrial fibrillation in Belgium from 2013 to 2019:A nationwide cohort study

Aim: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are increasingly preferred over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in atrial fibrillation (AF) management. However, differences in oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescribing according to patient's age, sex and physician's specialty may be present. Therefore, incident and prevalent use of OACs, NOACs and VKAs, stratified by age, sex and prescriber, and factors associated with the choice of OAC were investigated. Methods: Using two Belgian nationwide healthcare databases, AF patients ≥45 years old with ≥1 OAC prescription claim between 2013 and 2019... Mehr ...