Background: Real-world data from different regions are needed to support the external validity of controlled trials and assess the impact of new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in clinical practice... Show moreBackground: Real-world data from different regions are needed to support the external validity of controlled trials and assess the impact of new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in clinical practice.Methods: "GLORIA-AF" is a large, ongoing, multicenter, global, prospective registry program in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) at risk of stroke. Newly diagnosed patients with NVAF (within 4.5 months) and a CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score >= 1 were consecutively enrolled. The study objective was to estimate the incidence rate of stroke and major bleeding after a two year follow up of patients on dabigatran that participated in the ``GLORIA-AF" study (Phase II) in Latin America.Results: Latin America included 378 eligible patients that received dabigatran in eight countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela): 56.3% were male; mean age was 70.3 +/- 10.8 years; 43.4% had paroxysmal AF; 36.0% persistent AF and 20.6% permanent AF. Mean CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score was 3.2 +/- 1.4; mean HAS-BLED score was 1.2 +/- 0.8. Incidence rates for clinical events after 2-years of follow-up per 100 patient-years were as follows: stroke 0.33 (95% CI: 0.04-1.17), major bleeding 0.49 (95% CI: 0.10-1.42) and all-cause death 4.06 (95% CI: 2.63-6.00). Persistence with dabigatran at 6, 12 and 24 months was 91%, 86%, and 80%, respectively.Conclusion: These regional data shows the sustained safety and effectiveness of dabigatran over two years of follow-up, consistent with already available evidence. An increase in accessibility and incorporation of NOAC to anticoagulant treatment strategies could potentially have a positive impact on AF stroke prevention in Latin America. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Show less
