DIY blood test frees you from GP checks

By ANNA HODGEKISS
Updated:


A home test for patients taking the blood-thinning drug warfarin could release hundreds of thousands of people from the hassle of weekly checks and may slash their risk of stroke.

Around 1.2 million people in Britain take the drug, which is commonly prescribed for atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm), where patients have an increased risk of a stroke due to blood clots forming in their heart and travelling to their brain.

Those with a pulmonary thrombosis (a blood clot in the lung) or deep vein thrombosis may also be given the drug.

Stay at home: The test uses a finger-prick blood test and delivers almost instant results

Stay at home: The test uses a finger-prick blood test and delivers almost instant results for patients taking the blood-thinning drug warfarin

Though it reduces the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients by 70 per cent, warfarin needs to be monitored carefully due to interactions with medications and alcohol, and foods such as green leafy veg and olive oil.

Patients who take warfarin for more than six months must attend GP or hospital appointments as often as every week to ensure their blood is not too thick (which could cause a stroke), but not so thin that bleeding could not be stopped in the event of a cut or injury.

Now, a self-monitoring device has been developed allowing patients to test their blood at home. The test uses a finger-prick blood test and delivers almost instant results.

However, though 600,000 atrial fibrillation patients could be suitable for self-monitoring, only 2 per cent have access to the technology.

According to the Atrial Fibrillation Association, this is because many patients don’t know the technology exists and the fact the devices are available only privately and cost between £300 and £400.

‘Excellent control can be achieved with self-monitoring, but cost is an issue,’ says Dr Matthew Fay, a GP in Shipley, West Yorkshire, with an interest in atrial fibrillation.

‘Hopefully, with alternatives to warfarin becoming available soon, we should use this time of change to review anticoagulation services.’

Mark Seaman, 59, suffers from atrial fibrillation and was put on warfarin two years ago to reduce his risk of a stroke.

‘It was a big blow because I love sailing, cycling and hockey,’ says the management consultant from Rowland’s Castle, Hampshire.

At his first hospital appointment, he spotted a leaflet about the home monitoring device.

‘It’s easy to use and I test myself once a week. As my condition is well-controlled, I have been able to carry on my sporting activities.

'I’m going kayaking in Alaska — something I never dreamed I could have done while taking warfarin.’

For details, tel: 01789 451837; www.atrialfibrillation.org.uk


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