The prevalence of warfarin use in lithuanian regions

The Prevalence of Warfarin Use in Lithuanian Regions Miškinienė D., Urbietytė G. The Prevalence of Warfarin Use in Lithuanian Regions/ Final Master Thesis of the Pharmacy Study Programme. Supervisor: Lect. dr. Kristina Garuolienė. – Vilnius: Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine, 2017 SUMMARY The theme of the final master thesis is relevant to the physicians, specialist pharmacists, patients and their relatives. In Lithuania as well as in the majority of high-risk countries, the atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-induced cardiovascular diseases become an epidemic despite the advanced diagnostic and treatment measures. Lithuanian mortality rate from the coronary heart disease- stroke, is one of the highest in Europe. The prescription of anticoagulants and control of prescribed anticoagulants are becoming more common in the everyday medical practice. The traditional oral anticoagulant - warfarin, has been used for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis for several decades. Although the physicians and patients criticize this medication, warfarin, due to its availability, is the most commonly used anticoagulant in Lithuania. Despite the issues related to the use of warfarin and its prevalence in Lithuania as the main anticoagulant, the medical literature rarely analyses the subject of warfarin and problematic aspects of its use. Researches to assess the extent of the prevalence of this medication and the causes of complications experienced by the patients are even rarer. What is more, while taking into consideration the growing statistics of blood clotting disorders, it is important to re-assess the extent of warfarin use in the country. Therefore, the aim of this research paper is to assess the prevalence of warfarin use at municipal level and according to the age groups of the patients. The research paper also aims to analyse the patterns of warfarin use, problems caused due to the use of this medication and the causes of overdose. Methods of this research: discussion of the previous researches and a review of the relevant literature, statistical analysis, applied when carrying out the empirical research of data analysis, systematic analysis, applied when preparing a summary of the research paper, comparative analysis, applied when analysing the statistical data on the consumption of drugs and when comparing the statistics on the warfarin use in Lithuania with the statistical data on the warfarin use in other countries. According to the results of the research, it can be said that this medication is mostly used by patients over 65 years old in Lithuania. It was noted that the increase in the use of this medication really revealed its effectiveness, as the more frequent use of this medication clearly reduced the number of embolic strokes experienced by the patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. The dose of warfarin shall be prescribed individually for each patient, while taking into consideration the blood coagulation rate and treatment efficiency. Rates of warfarin use differ in Lithuanian municipalities. Conclusions are presented at the end of the final master thesis