Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are widely used in patients with atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism. The lack of the need for laboratory monitoring and a better safety than vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) has probably changed the quality of life of patients on these oral anticoagulants. This was a real-life prospective observational cohort study. The aim was to evaluate if a long-term treatment with DOACs could offer a better quality of life than VKAs. Moreover, age, gender, education level, time in therapeutic range for VKAs, taking medication once or twice a day for DOACs, the total daily number of medications and thrombotic and bleeding complications were considered as variables probably associated with the quality of life of these patients.
Methods: Between January and December 2021, the Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale (DASS) 25-items was administered as an interview to patients on either VKAs or DOACs therapy. During the follow-up period, all of the patients were closely monitored to evaluate possible bleeding and thrombotic events.
Results: The analysis included 300 outpatients treated with VKAs and 254 treated with DOACs. In general, the quality of life was better in patients taking DOACs (DASS total score: DOACs = 44.7, 42.9-46.5 vs. VKAs = 51, 49.2-52.8, p < 0.0001) as the daily-life limitations, hassles and burdens and the psychological impact were less important than in patients on VKAs therapy.
Conclusions: VKAs negatively influence the daily-life of the patients in terms of both less satisfaction and time-consuming tasks. DOACs confer a better quality of life even if some concerns emerge from not knowing how their therapy is working.
Keywords: DASS instrument; direct oral anticoagulants; quality of life; thrombosis and hemostasis unit; vitamin K-antagonists.