Atrial fibrillation patients on long-term vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, to prevent stroke have an increased risk for coronary calcium, despite their overall low risk for cardiovascular disease, researchers found. The mean coronary artery calcium scores were significantly higher in those taking blood thinners compared with those not taking them (mean score 29, inter-quartile range 0-184, versus 0, IQR 0-40, P<0.001), reported Bob Weijs, MD, from Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and colleagues. The mean calcium scores also rose in conjunction with the duration of blood-thinning therapy, according to the study published online in the European Heart Journal.
