Prescribing anticoagulation medication for the elderly

Anticoagulation is increasingly important in the elderly because clinical indication of anticoagulation is frequent in this population. However, elderly patients are at higher risk of bleeding during anticoagulation. Although the proportion of anticoagulated elderly subjects has considerably grown in recent years, anticoagulation is still denied to a large proportion of this patient population, mainly owing to the risk of bleeding in addition to other practical management problems. This article focuses on the indications for long-term anticoagulation in the elderly, the factors affecting anticoagulation management, the associated risk of bleeding and the precautions to be observed before and during anticoagulation. Finally, the new scenarios due to the introduction of novel oral anticoagulants in clinical practice will be briefly discussed.