Prevalence of XXXX and eligibility for anticoagulants in the community.

@entity1 @entity64 @entity5069 @entity955
BACKGROUND: Anticoagulants are effective in the prevention of @entity64 in @entity955 ( @entity5069 ). We aimed to find out the prevalence of @entity5069 in the UK and to estimate the proportion of @entity1 with @entity5069 who might benefit from anticoagulation. METHODS: We screened with electrocardiography a random sample of 4843 @entity1 from the community aged 65 years and older for @entity5069 . @entity1 with @entity5069 had further investigations to identify risk factors for @entity64 and contraindications to anticoagulants. We used three sets of criteria to assess risk and eligibility for anticoagulation. FINDINGS: 228 (4.7%) @entity1 had @entity5069 . According to analyses derived from risk stratifications based on the @entity64 Prevention in @entity955 (SPAF) study 61% of these @entity1 would have benefited from anticoagulation, 49% according to pooled analysis of trial results, and 41% according to the inclusion criteria for the SPAF 3 study. Anticoagulants were used by 1114 (23%) of all @entity1 and were least used among elderly @entity1 , who may be the most likely to benefit. Echocardiography would be useful to assess the need for anticoagulation only in @entity1 younger than 75 years with no contraindications to treatment and no clinical risk factors for @entity64 . INTERPRETATION: Anticoagulants seem to be underused and misdirected in treatment of @entity5069 , according to various criteria. Efforts to promote and support wider and more appropriate use of anticoagulants would seem to be justified, and should decrease the incidence of @entity64 amongst elderly @entity1 .
