Among patients with atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease is associated with higher risk for adverse cardiovascular events, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Using Danish registries, researchers compared outcomes based on renal status in roughly 130,000 patients hospitalized for atrial fibrillation.

Non-end-stage chronic kidney disease and kidney disease requiring renal-replacement therapy were associated with increased risks for stroke or systemic thromboembolism, bleeding, MI, and all-cause mortality, relative to no renal disease. Warfarin decreased the risk for stroke or thromboembolism in patients with renal disease (hazard ratio, 0.76), while aspirin was associated with increased risk (HR, 1.17).

Mark Link of Journal Watch Cardiology says: “These findings suggest that aspirin should not be routinely prescribed for stroke prevention in AF patients with renal disease, although it may still have a role in the treatment of those with coronary artery disease.”

Source:NEJM