Is Atrial Fibrillation an Independent Risk Factor for Stroke?
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences NeurologiquesPublished 1 May 1990Open access
Stephen Phillips
Citations15
SJR quartileQ2
SJR score0.69
SNIP0.73
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TL;DR
There is evidence to suggest that the increased probability of stroke attributed to this arrhythmia is due to its association with other risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis.
Abstract
That non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation is an independent risk factor for cerebral infarction has not been established with certainty. The rationale underlying contemporary clinical trials of warfarin therapy for the prevention of stroke in patients who have non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation is that the majority of strokes in such patients are due to cardiogenic cerebral embolism. However, there is evidence to suggest that the increased probability of stroke attributed to this arrhythmia is due to its association with other risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. The question of who should be anticoagulated is a major public health issue since atrial fibrillation is present in approximately ten per cent of the general population aged 65 or more years.
Keywords
Medicine
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