Renal Decline in Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation Treated with Rivaroxaban or Warfarin: A Population-Based Study from the United Kingdom

Reports suggest that renal decline is greater among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) treated chronically with warfarin vs. some non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants.Using primary care electronic health records from the United Kingdom we followed adults with NVAF and who started rivaroxaban (20 mg/day, N = 5338) or warfarin (N = 6314), excluding those with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)50 ml/min/1.73mWe found clear evidence that patients with NVAF, preserved renal function at baseline and treated with rivaroxaban had a markedly reduced risk and rate of renal decline compared with those treated with warfarin.