Stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation

Investigators may have uncovered the prevalence of thromboembolic events and vascular dementia among patients with atrial fibrillation with a low apparent risk of stroke, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

In the study, the investigators used electronic health care records from nearly 5.2 million patients aged 40 to 75 years — about 300,000 of whom had atrial fibrillation and 36,000 of whom had a low perceived stroke risk.

Compared with controls who didn’t have atrial fibrillation, the incidence of incident stroke, arterial thromboembolism, all-cause mortality, vascular dementia and all-cause dementia was higher among the patients with atrial fibrillation.

The investigators recommended that physicians discuss the potential risks and benefits of anticoagulation drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Read more: Nature Medicine

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