Comparison of different direct oral anticoagulant regimens in atrial fibrillation patients with high bleeding risk

BACKGROUND

The optimal dose of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to prevent ischemic stroke (IS) and systemic thromboembolism (STE) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with a predisposing bleeding risk remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of different DOAC dosage regimens in AF patients with high bleeding risk but low thrombosis risk.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study was conducted with the National Health Insurance claims database in Taiwan to include AF patients aged 20 up to 75 years, under DOAC therapy, with CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 for males and 2 for females and HAS-BLED score ≥3. Standard-dose regimen was defined as dabigatran 300 mg, rivaroxaban 20 mg, apixaban 10 mg, or edoxaban 60 mg per day. Any other lower-dose regimen were defined as the low-dose regimen. The primary outcomes were IS and major bleeding (MB). The secondary outcomes were STE, gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage, and cardiovascular death.

RESULTS

A total of 964 patients were included (52.1% standard-dose regimen). Median HAS-BLED score was 3 [interquartile range 3-3]. Compared with standard-dose group, patients in the low-dose group had a significantly increased risk of IS (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 5.13; 95% confidence interval 1.37-19.22) and STE (aHR 3.14 [1.05-9.37]) but similar risk of MB (aHR 0.45 [0.12-1.67]). The risks of other hemorrhage and cardiovascular death were similar between the 2 dose groups.

CONCLUSION

Among patients with a predominant bleeding risk but relatively low thrombosis risk, the low-dose DOAC regimen is not a more appropriate selection than standard-dose regimen.

Different doses of Rituximab for the therapy of Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease(NMOSD) is an autoimmune neurological disease that primarily affects the spinal cord, optic nerve, and periventricular organs. Rituximab plays an important role in the prevention of relapse in NMOSD. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of different doses of the anti-monoclonal antibody rituximab in NMOSD.

OBJECTS

Our study aimed to implement a meta-analysis to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of different doses of rituximab in the treatment of NMOSD.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov for relevant studies evaluating rituximab for NMOSD up to March 2022. Data were assessed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 14 softwares. Means and standard deviations(SD) were analyzed using random effects models with continuous outcomes. Risk radio was analyzed using random effects models with dichotomous outcomes.

RESULTS

We collected 576 patients from 17 studies. The endpoint of efficacy was the change in annual recurrence rate(ARR), expanded disability status scale (EDSS), and the number of patients free of relapse between pre-treatment and post-treatment of rituximab. We found that rituximab reduced ARR and EDSS, with a significant reduction in ARR(MD= -1.79, 95% CI: -3.18 ∼ -0.39, P= 0.01) and EDSS(MD= -1.35, 95% CI: -1.5 ∼ -1.19, P < 0.00001) at 100 mg intravenous infusion per week for 3 consecutive weeks, meanwhile making the number of patients free of relapse increased (RR= 24.61 [5.11, 118.55], P<0.0001) and being relatively safe and without serious adverse events(SAEs). In terms of safety, we compared and summarised the adverse events(AEs) and SAEs from 17 studies.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we found rituximab to be relatively safe and efficacious in the treatment of NMOSD, particularly at a dose of 100mg intravenous infusion per week for 3 consecutive weeks.