Dual antithrombotic therapy and gastroprotection in atrial fibrillation: an observational primary care study

BACKGROUND: Patients with both atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may receive dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT) with both an anticoagulant and ≥1 antiplatelet agents. Avoiding prolonged duration of DAT and use of gastroprotective therapies reduces bleeding risk. AIM: To describe the extent and duration of DAT and use of gastroprotection in a primary care cohort of patients with AF. DESIGN & SETTING: Observational study in 1.2 million people registered with GPs across four east London clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), covering prescribing from January 2020–June 2021. METHOD: In patients with AF, factors associated with DAT prescription, prolonged DAT prescription (>12 months), and gastroprotective prescription were characterised using logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 8881 patients with AF, of whom 4.7% (n = 416) were on DAT. Of these, 65.9% (n = 274) were prescribed DAT for >12 months and 84.4% (n = 351) were prescribed concomitant gastroprotection. Independent of all other factors, females with AF were less likely to receive DAT than males (odds ratio [OR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.49 to 0.77). Similarly, older (aged ≥75 years) individuals (OR 0.79, 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.98) were less likely to receive DAT than younger patients. Among those with AF on DAT, pre-existing CVD (OR 3.33, 95% CI = 1.71 to 6.47) and South Asian ethnicity (OR 2.70, 95% CI = 1.15 to 6.32) were associated with increased gastroprotection prescriptions. Gastroprotection prescription (OR 1.80, 95% CI = 1.01 to 3.22) was associated with prolonged DAT prescription. CONCLUSION: Almost two-thirds of patients with AF on DAT were prescribed prolonged durations of therapy. Prescription of gastroprotection therapies was suboptimal in one in six patients. Treatment decisions varied by sex, age, ethnic group, and comorbidity. Duration of DAT and gastroprotection in patients with AF requires improvement.