Anticoagulants as secondary prevention of non-cardioembolic stroke

• Vol 8 • November 2006 Anticoagulants in Secondary Prevention of Stroke Anticoagulation therapy has been common practice for a long time, based on the assumption that anticoagulation medication is more effective than anti-aggregation therapy even though it was known to be more dangerous. This trend among most treating physicians was reinforced by the many cases of failure of anti-aggregation therapy. The increasing number of studies with better designs and larger groups led to the knowledge that anticoagulation could be crucial in the treatment of some types of stroke but is unnecessary or even dangerous in others. This review presents the latest data on the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant therapy for various types of stroke. However, it should be borne in mind that in some stroke types the data are still limited and further study is necessary to make decisions regarding treatment.