Taking NSAIDs with NOACs doubles the risk of bleeding, new research shows
One of the most comprehensive studies to date prompts call for caution.
The risk of internal bleeding doubles if patients on oral anticoagulants for VTE also take an NSAID, research suggests.
The first large-scale study of its kind has found that adding an NSAID is associated with a significant increase in the risk of bleeds for multiple organ systems, not only the gut and brain.
Danish researchers analysed nationwide data on more than 50,000 patients with first-time VTE who had initiated treatment with NOACs or the vitamin K antagonist warfarin between 2012 and 2022.
The research, led by Denmark’s Aarhus University Hospital, found NSAID use in this cohort was associated with double the bleeding rate compared with no NSAID use.
