Word: warfarin
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1990
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...report published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers revealed that daily doses of aspirin, or of a blood-thinning medication called warfarin, could sharply curtail the risk of stroke in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heartbeat is rapid and irregular. The 1 million Americans who have this abnormality face five times the normal risk of stroke. The study, which was to involve 1,244 patients over four years, found that the drugs could cut that risk so dramatically, by 80%, that research was halted after just two years so that...
Interrupting the study left several questions unanswered. Most important, the researchers do not yet know which of the two drugs is more effective. Since aspirin is safer and easier to administer, doctors would prefer to use it exclusively. But warfarin, a prescription drug that is commonly used to prevent blood clots in the heart and lungs, could turn out to do the job better. The study also suggests that aspirin is ineffective in patients over 75 years...