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Minimizing the Risk of Bleeding with NOACs in the Elderly

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Abstract

Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban have gained a lot of popularity as alternatives to warfarin for anticoagulation in various clinical settings. However, there is conflicting opinion regarding the absolute benefit of NOAC use in elderly patients. Low body mass, altered body composition of fat and muscle, renal impairment and concurrent presence of multiple comorbidities predispose elderly patients to many adverse effects with NOACs that are typically not seen in younger patients. There have been reports that NOAC use, in particular dabigatran, is associated with a higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in the elderly. Diagnosis and management of NOAC-associated bleeding in the elderly is difficult due to the absence of commonly available drug-specific antidotes that can rapidly reverse the anticoagulant effects. Moreover, in elderly patients, a number of factors such as the presence of other comorbid medical conditions, renal insufficiency, drug interactions from polypharmacy, risk of falls and dementia need to be considered before prescribing anticoagulation therapy. Elderly patients frequently have compromised renal function, and therefore dose adjustments according to creatinine clearance for NOACs need to be made. As each NOAC comes with its own unique advantages and safety profile, an individualized case by case approach should be adopted to decide on the appropriate anticoagulation regimen for elderly patients after weighing the overall risks and benefits of therapy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Amartya Kundu

  2. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Utah Health Science Center, University of Utah, 30 North 1900 East, Room 4A100, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA

    Partha Sardar, Theophilus Owan & John J. Ryan

  3. Division of Cardiology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA

    Saurav Chatterjee

  4. Division of Cardiology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA

    Wilbert S. Aronow

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  1. Amartya Kundu
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  2. Partha Sardar
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Correspondence to Partha Sardar.

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Kundu, A., Sardar, P., Chatterjee, S. et al. Minimizing the Risk of Bleeding with NOACs in the Elderly. Drugs Aging 33, 491–500 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-016-0376-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-016-0376-z

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