Top in cardiology: Lower GI bleeding risk with apixaban; menstrual cycles and CVD risk

Data suggest that apixaban, a direct oral anticoagulant, may be preferable to other drugs in its category as it was associated with a lower risk for GI bleeding compared with its counterparts.

“In this study of more than half a million patients across four countries, apixaban use was associated with lower risk for GI bleeding and similar rates of stroke and all-cause mortality compared with dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban,” Wallis Lau, PhD, told Healio. “This finding was consistent for patients aged 80 years or older and those with chronic kidney disease, who are often underrepresented in clinical trials.”

A review of the data was the top story in cardiology last week.

The second top story was about a potential link between irregular and long menstrual cycles and an increased risk for CVD events in women as they age. Yi-Xin Wang, MD, PhD, said that “menstrual cycle dysfunction may be a useful marker for identifying women who are more likely to develop CVD events later in life.”

Read these and more top stories in cardiology below:

Apixaban ‘might be preferable’ to other DOACs due to lower GI bleeding risk

Compared with other direct oral anticoagulants, apixaban was associated with lower rates of gastrointestinal bleeding but similar rates of ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality among adults with atrial fibrillation, data show. Read more.

Irregular, long menstrual cycles may be indicative of future CVD

Irregular and long menstrual cycles were associated with elevated risk for incident CVD events, primarily coronary heart disease, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.

Small study links prior SARS-CoV-2 infection with coronary vasomotor dysfunction

Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with coronary vasomotor dysfunction, regardless of whether the patient required hospitalization, according to a brief communication published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Read more.

Loop diuretic choice does not reduce all-cause death in HF: TRANSFORM-HF

A treatment strategy of torsemide vs. furosemide did not improve long-term clinical outcomes for adults hospitalized with heart failure, including all-cause mortality and all-cause hospitalization, researchers reported. Read more.

Universal screening may be useful to detect AF eligible for catheter ablation

Data from a Japanese registry suggest universal health screenings can detect atrial fibrillation that improves after medical therapy or catheter ablation, particularly among younger adults who are more likely to be asymptomatic. Read more.