Patient-relevant bleeds ‘can be life-altering’ for many anticoagulant users
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Key takeaways:
- More than half (59%) of survey respondents reported experiencing a patient-relevant bleeding event.
- Nearly one-third (29%) reported wanting to pause or stop anticoagulant therapy.
Patient-relevant bleeding negatively affected quality of life and treatment adherence among patients on anticoagulant therapy, according to results of a survey presented at International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Congress.
In addition, 38% of survey respondents stated that it is “very important” to know about new treatment options with lower bleeding risk.
Rationale and methods
“While physicians diligently focus on the management of major bleeding events, the same emphasis is not always placed on patient-relevant bleeding, with these incidents often overlooked or clinically dismissed,” Mellanie True Hills, founder and CEO at StopAfib.org, American Foundation for Women’s Health, said in a press release. “This can leave patients feeling lost and unsupported, thus resorting to taking measures into their own hands.”
Researchers conducted a comprehensive patient survey that included questions that explored the impact of patient-relevant bleeding events — bleeding not requiring medical intervention — on daily activities, emotional well-being and adherence to anticoagulant treatment.
Findings
Overall, 3,072 individuals completed the survey, of whom 59% reported experiencing a patient-relevant bleeding event.
Among those who reported a patient-relevant bleeding event, more than half (54%) reported adjusting their lifestyle to decrease the risk for bleeds or to hide marks or bruises.
Moreover, nearly half (47%) reported that the events had an emotional impact that ranged from embarrassment to fear that a future bleed may be uncontrollable.
Results additionally showed that 29% of respondents reported wanting to pause or stop taking their anticoagulant, and 7% stopped, paused or reduced the anticoagulant dose without first consulting their physician.
“Health care professionals can gain immense insight from these findings, which hopefully encourages a much more open dialogue with patients about the bleeding concerns they live with every day,” True Hills said in the press release.
Implications
“Despite widespread underreporting, these events are real and can be life-altering for a significant number of individuals,” Tarin Patrikis, deputy director of the National Blood Clot Alliance, said in the release. “This forward-thinking survey explores the impact of patient-relevant bleeding events on lifestyle, emotional and mental well-being, and adherence. Because of these burdens, patients are highly motivated to explore new anticoagulant treatment options that can offer a lower bleeding risk and hopefully restore a better sense of normalcy to their lives.”
References:
- Anthos Therapeutics supported global survey of 3,000+ patients prescribed anticoagulants detailing impact of patient-relevant bleeding (PRB) presented at ISTH 2023 (press release). Available at: http://anthostherapeutics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-06-26-Anthos-Press-Release-v1.pdf. Published June 26, 2023. Accessed July 7, 2023.
- Bloomfield D, et al. Abstract OC 21.4. Presented at: International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Congress; June 24-28, 2023; Montreal.
Collapse
Bloomfield D, et al. Abstract OC 21.4. Presented at: International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Congress; June 24-28, 2023; Montreal.
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