The Impact of Novel Anticoagulants on the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Mucosa

Background and objectives: Although treatment with novel oral non-vitamin K antagonist 3anticoagulants (NOACs) is associated with an overall decrease in hemorrhagic complications compared to warfarin, the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding remains contradictory. Materials and Methods: After the exclusion of patients with pre-existing pathological lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) on esophageal-gastroduodenoscopy (EGD) at entry, a cohort of 80 patients (mean age of 74.8 ± 2.0 years) was randomly divided into four equivalent groups, treated with dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or warfarin. Patients were prospectively followed up for three months of treatment, with a focus on anamnestic and endoscopic signs of bleeding. In addition, bleeding risk factors were evaluated. Results: In none of the patients treated with warfarin or NOACs was any serious or clinically significant bleeding recorded within the follow-up period. The incidence of clinical bleeding and endoscopically detected bleeding in the upper GT after three months of treatment was not statistically different among groups (χ(2) = 2.8458; p = 0.41608). The presence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) was a risk factor for upper GIT bleeding (p < 0.05), while the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was a protective factor (p = 0.206; Spearman’s correlation coefficient = 0.205). We did not record any post-biopsy continued bleeding. Conclusions: No significant GIT bleeding was found in any of the treatment groups, so we consider it beneficial to perform routine EGD before the initiation of any anticoagulant therapy in patients with an increased risk of upper GIT bleeding. Detection and eradication of HP as well as preventive PPI treatment may mitigate the occurrence of endoscopic bleeding. Endoscopic biopsy during the NOAC treatment is safe.