it is unlikely that this would have had an impact on the discriminative value of the HAS-BLED score, as this exclusion criterion was solely based on geographics and not on relevant patient characteristics. Fifth, we did not perform a formal power calculation. However, our sample size is in line with that of previous validation studies on bleeding risk scores in the acute VTE population. In conclusion, patients with acute VTE and a HAS-BLED score of three points or higher are at high risk of major bleeding events during anticoagulant treatment. These results warrant for correction of the potentially reversible risk factors for major bleeding and careful INR monitoring in acute VTE patients with a high HAS-BLED score. 8 / 11 HAS-BLED Score in Patients with Acute VTE ~~ Chronic kidney disease is a major public health problem affecting more than 10% of the general population in many countries worldwide. 
It is associated with high cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. CVD is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in patients with CKD. Heart failure is one of the leading cardiovascular conditions in patients with impaired renal function. CKD and HF occur frequently together, and epidemiological studies have found not only severely but already moderately reduced kidney function to be an independent risk factor for both incident HF and A-83-01 custom synthesis aggravation of prevalent HF. HF prevalence is estimated as 12% in the industrial states overall, 610% in people aged 65, and 4054% in persons aged 65 who also have CKD. In a recent report from the multi-ethnic Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort, a US population of mostly PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19769484 middle-aged patients with CKD, 11% of patients reported previously diagnosed HF and an additional 25% reported symptoms of HF. Corresponding data from patients with CKD of moderate severity are missing in Central Europe. The German Chronic Kidney Disease study is one of the largest prospective observational studies of referred CKD worldwide with 5217 Caucasian patients with CKD stage G3 or overt proteinuria enrolled from 201012. There are no gold standard criteria to define HF in epidemiological studies, especially when the collection of echocardiogaphic data is not feasible. Many investigations use HF hospitalizations as a diagnosis criterion, which detects advanced disease but may miss patients with HF in early stages, where detection followed by efficient therapy can still prevent its progression. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, signs and symptoms as well as correlates of HF at the baseline visit of the GCKD study. In order to assess whether patients with moderate CKD already show signs and symptoms of HF found in its early stages, we evaluated the Gothenburg score, a validated clinical HF score that PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19767819 was developed to detect early HF. We further evaluated a self-reported diagnosis of HF. The identification of HF, a frequent comorbidity in patients with CKD, or its clinical correlates represents an important first step towards improved management. Methods Study Population and Design The GCKD study was designed as a prospective observational study of patients with moderate CKD in Germany to gain insights about the pathogenesis of CKD and its association with CVD. Main study outcomes include CKD progression, incidence of end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular events and mortality, and all-cause death. Details of the enrolment process and study procedures are fully described elsewhere. Briefly, 5217 CKD patients un
