[Anticoagulation treatment in real-life practice of patient with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in Beijing city].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the anticoagulation treatment in real-life practice for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) in Beijing. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 583 patients with nonvalvular AFF, 327 males and 256 females, aged 40 - 93, selected randomly from 8 general hospitals (n = 375, 64.3%) and 7 community health service centers (n = 208, 35.7%) located in the 8 districts in Beijing city, mainly from the out-patient departments (n = 437, 75%). RESULTS: 110 of the 583 patients (18.9%) were prescribed warfarin in which the percentage of international normalized ratio (INR) range (2.0 - 3.0) was 39.1% (n = 43). 68.2% of them had taken warfarin for less than one year. Another 33 patients (5.7%) had ever taken warfarin. 346 patients (59.3%) took aspirin of which 85.7% were exposed to the dose of 76 - 150 mg/d, and no one was administered the dose of 325 mg/d. 18.9% of the 583 patients had not received any anticoagulation or antiplatelet drugs. 78.6% of patients had never got the advice about taking warfarin from their doctors, and over 75% of the patients lacked in knowledge about the necessity of anticoagulation treatment for AF patients. The prevalence of stroke in the total 583 patients was 22.8%, 22.0% in those receiving warfarin treatment, 24.3% in those receiving aspirin treatment, and 21.3% in those receiving neither anticoagulation treatment nor antiplatelet treatment, without significant differences among them (chi(2) = 1.09, P = 0.58). CONCLUSION: The percentage of taking anticoagulation treatment in real-life practice pf the AF patients in Beijing is lower than that of taking antiplatelet treatment. The period of anticoagulation treatment is short and the effect is not good. The percentage of taking aspirin is too high in the high risk patients of stroke, but the dose of aspirin is on the low side. Doctors' advice and knowledge related to anticoagulation treatment of the patients are important factors influencing the anticoagulation treatment.