People with atrial fibrillation who had survived a brain bleed were less likely to have a clot-related stroke or die if they took a newer blood thinner, according to a Finnish study published October 21 in the journal Neurology. Compared with taking no anticoagulant, the newer drugs were linked to an 83% lower risk of ischemic stroke and an 80% lower risk of death, with no increase in new brain bleeds.
The finding is an association, not proof. The study was observational, meaning researchers tracked what happened to patients rather than randomly assigning treatments, so it cannot show that the drugs caused the difference.
