1. The association between anticoagulation and adverse outcomes after a positive SARS-CoV-2 test among older outpatients: A population-based cohort study.
- Author
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Abdel-Qadir H, Austin PC, Pang A, Fang J, Udell JA, Geerts WH, McNaughton CD, Jackevicius CA, Kwong JC, Yeh CH, Cox JL, Lee DS, Ko DT, and Atzema CL
- Subjects
- Aged, Anticoagulants therapeutic use, COVID-19 Testing, Cohort Studies, Female, Hospitalization, Humans, Ontario epidemiology, Outpatients, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 Drug Treatment
- Abstract
Introduction: Anticoagulation may improve outcomes in patients with COVID-19 when started early in the course of illness., Materials and Methods: This was a population-based cohort study using linked administrative datasets of outpatients aged ≥65 years old testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 between January 1 and December 31, 2020 in Ontario, Canada. The key exposure was anticoagulation with warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants before COVID-19 diagnosis. We calculated propensity scores and used matching weights (MWs) to reduce baseline differences between anticoagulated and non-anticoagulated patients. The primary outcome was a composite of death or hospitalization within 60 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and cumulative incidence functions to estimate risk of the primary and component outcomes at 60 days., Results: We studied 23,159 outpatients (mean age 78.5 years; 13,474 [58.2%] female), among whom 3200 (13.8%) deaths and 3183 (13.7%) hospitalizations occurred within 60 days of the SARS-CoV-2 test. After application of MWs, the 60-day risk of death or hospitalization was 29.2% (95% CI 27.4%-31.2%) for anticoagulated individuals and 32.1% (95% CI 30.7%-33.5%) without anticoagulation (absolute risk difference [ARD], -2.9%; p = 0.005). Anticoagulation was also associated with a lower risk of death: 18.6% (95% CI 17.0%-20.2%) with anticoagulation and 20.9% (95% CI 19.7%-22.2%) in non-anticoagulated patients (ARD -2.3%; p = 0.005)., Conclusions: Among outpatients aged ≥65 years, oral anticoagulation at the time of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test was associated with a lower risk of a composite of death or hospitalization within 60 days., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2022
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