Warfarin and Coronary Calcification Project

Warfarin and Coronary Calcification Project

The purpose of the study is to assess whether the use of warfarin, a commonly used anticoagulation drug, is associated with increased amounts of coronary artery calcification. Studies in animals and preliminary but small retrospective studies in humans have suggested a possible link to increased tissue calcification with use of this drug. The researchers will investigate this by assessing the amount of calcification seen in the coronary arteries using a specialized computed tomography (CT) scan (electron-beam CT) and assessing to see if the amount is influenced by the amount of time a patient has been taking warfarin. The researchers will exclude patients with known coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease or hyperparathyroidism.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years of age or older
• Patients referred to begin or already treated with warfarin anticoagulation therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known prior myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease
• History of advanced chronic kidney disease manifested by serum creatinine>2 or calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR)<30
• History of hyperparathyroidism
• Current hypercalcemia
• Current hyperphosphatemia
• Uncertain duration of warfarin therapy
• Lack of records documenting international normalized ratio (INR) during therapy