ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the extent of, and patient-related characteristics for, non-persistence with antiplatelet therapy during follow-up in elderly patients after their first ischaemic non-cardioembolic stroke. METHODS: A database of the largest health insurance provider in the Slovak Republic was used to assemble the study cohort of 4319 patients (56.8% were women) aged ≥65 years in whom antiplatelet therapy was initiated following a hospital-based diagnosis of stroke during the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010. Patients were followed for 3 years from the date on which the first prescription of antiplatelet medication was recorded. Patients with a 6-month treatment gap without antiplatelet medication prescription were designated as non-persistent, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify predictors of non-persistence. RESULTS: At the end of the 3-year follow-up period, 1184 (27.4%) patients were considered non-persistent with antiplatelet medication. In 1244 (28.8%) patients, a switch in the use of a particular antiplatelet drug was registered during this follow-up period. Female sex (hazard ratio [HR] 1.25) was associated with increased risk of non-persistence. In contrast, factors associated with lower probability of non-persistence were age ≥75 years (HR 0.72), switch in antiplatelet medication use (HR 0.76), diabetes mellitus (HR 0.81), dementia (HR 0.69) and epilepsy (HR 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that women, patients aged <75 years, and patients without certain comorbid conditions may need improved assistance in secondary prevention management after an ischaemic stroke.
