Association of warfarin use with valvular and vascular calcification: a review. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Vitamin K is required for the activity of various biologically active proteins in our body. Apart from clotting factors, vitamin K-dependent proteins include regulatory proteins like protein C, protein S, protein Z, osteocalcin, growth arrest-specific gene 6 protein, and matrix Gla protein. Glutamic acid residues in matrix Gla protein are γ-carboxylated by vitamin K-dependent γ-carboxylase, which enables it to inhibit calcification. Warfarin, being a vitamin K antagonist, inhibits this process, and has been associated with calcification in various animal and human studies. Though no specific guidelines are currently available to prevent or treat this less-recognized side effect, discontinuing warfarin and using an alternative anticoagulant seems to be a reasonable option. Newer anticoagulants such as dabigatran and rivaroxaban offer promise as future therapeutic options in such cases. Drugs including statins, alendronate, osteoprotegerin, and vitamin K are currently under study as therapies to prevent or treat warfarin-associated calcification. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.

publication date

  • February 1, 2011

Research

keywords

  • Anticoagulants
  • Calcinosis
  • Heart Valve Diseases
  • Muscle, Smooth, Vascular
  • Warfarin

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC6652734

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 79751490206

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/clc.20865

PubMed ID

  • 21298649

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 34

issue

  • 2