title: Effectiveness and safety of warfarin and anti-platelet drugs for the primary prevention of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of warfarin and anti-platelet drugs as the primary approach to the prevention of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Three English databases (the Cochrane library, Embase, and Medline), and three Chinese databases (the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Periodical Full-text Database of Science and Technology) were searched to select potentially eligible studies published before May, 2014. The studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effectiveness and safety of using warfarin and anti-platelet drugs in preventing stroke in NVAF patients; The statistical analysis was performed using the Review Manager 5.2 software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  nine articles were finally included. Compared with antiplatelet drugs, warfarin treatment significantly reduced the risk of stroke (OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.50-05.77), systemic embolism events (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.31-0.77), ischemic stroke events (OR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.36-0.59), stroke-related disability or death events (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.52-0.84). Warfarin did not increase the incidence of All-cause death events (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.78-1.08), intracranial hemorrhage events (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 0.85-1.93), major hemorrhage events (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.79-1.29).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis found that compared with antiplatelet drugs, warfarin treatment significantly reduced the risk of stroke, systemic embolism events, ischemic stroke events, stroke-related disability or death events. And warfarin did not increase the incidence of All-cause death events, intracranial hemorrhage events, major hemorrhage events.
authors: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University China.
authors: Xin-Xiu
authors: XX
authors: Shi
authors: Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University China.
authors: Guang-Hao
authors: GH
authors: Ren
authors: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University China.
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University China.
authors: Ni
authors: N
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University China.
authors: Ming-Zhu
authors: MZ
authors: Yu
authors: Department of Neurology, Jiansanjiang Farm People's Hospital in Heilongjiang Province China.
authors: Yan-Qiu
authors: YQ
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University China.
authors: Yan-Kun
authors: YK
authors: Shao
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; anti-platelet drugs; stroke; warfarin