Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants and risk of fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims Comparative fracture risk for non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. This study aimed to provide summary relative risk (RR) estimates for associations between NOACs vs. VKAs and fracture risk. Methods and results PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched from 2010 to 26 May 2020. Observational studies investigating the association between NOACs vs. VKAs and fracture risk in patients with AF were included. The adjusted effect estimates were pooled using the DerSimonian-Laird random effects models. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiological (MOOSE) guidelines were followed. Five observational studies comprising 269 922 patients and 4289 fractures were included. Nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants use was associated with a lower risk of any fractures compared to VKAs use, with moderate heterogeneity [pooled RR= 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.92, P<0.001, I-2 = 73.0%]. When comparing individual NOAC to VKAs, a statistically significant lower risk of any fractures was found for rivaroxaban (pooled RR= 0.79, 95% CI: 0.71-0.88, P <0.001, I-2 = 55.2%) and apixaban (pooled RR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.60-0.92, P= 0.007, I-2 = 54.5%), but not dabigatran (pooled RR= 0.87, 95% CI: 0.74-1.01, P= 0.061, I-2 = 74.6%). No differences were observed in all head-to-head comparisons between NOACs. Conclusion This large meta-analysis suggests that NOACs use was associated with a tower risk of fractures compared with VKAs. Fracture risks were similar between NOACs. These findings may help inform the optimal anticoagulant choice for patients with AF at high risk of fracture.

Automated summary

This study suggests that non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are associated with a lower risk of fractures compared to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Among NOACs, the fracture risks were similar.