title: Oral antithrombotic use among myocardial infarction patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the use of oral antithrombotics (i.e., antiplatelet agents, oral anticoagulants) after myocardial infarction (MI) in the Netherlands from 1988 to 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective follow-up of 3800 patients with MI, using data from the PHARMO Record Linkage System.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 1988 to 1998, oral antithrombotic treatment increased significantly from 54.0% to 88.9%. In 1998, only 75.8% of patients who experienced a MI in the late 1980s received oral antithrombotic treatment compared with 94.4% of those who experienced a recent MI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral antithrombotics were considerably underused in patients with a past history of MI. Therefore, these patients should be reviewed for antithrombotic therapy to assess whether their failure to use oral antithrombotics was right or wrong, and whether treatment should be initiated if possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands. m.e.vanderelst@pharm.uu.nl
authors.forename: Menno E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van der Elst
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cisneros-Gonzalez
authors.forename: Cornelis J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: de Blaey
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buurma
authors.forename: Anthonius
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Boer
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004363:Drug Utilization; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors