Few models had addressed the cumulative nature of risk factors where a combination of risk factors would confer a greater risk than either factor alone .
In patients at high risk of stroke , anticoagulation is cost effective , but not for those with a low risk of stroke .
The risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation ( AF ) needs to be assessed in each patient to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of thromboprophylaxis , with the aim of appropriate use of antithrombotic therapy .
To achieve this , stroke risk factors in AF population s need to be identified and stroke risk stratification models have been devised on the basis of these risk factors .
In this article , we firstly provide a systematic review of studies examining the attributable stroke risk of various clinical , demographic and echocardiographic patient characteristics in AF population s. Secondly , we performed a systematic review of published stroke risk stratification models , in terms of the results of the review of stroke risk factors and their ability to accurately discriminate between different levels of stroke risk .
Risk factors for thromboembolic stroke in elderly patients with chronic atrial fibrillation.
Abstract Chronic atrial fibrillation ( AF ) in the presence or absence of rheumatic valvular heart disease is associated with an increased incidence of stroke . 1,2 We reported in a prospect i ve study that at 27-month follow-up , echocardiographic left ventricular ( LV ) hypertrophy in elderly patients with systolic or diastolic hypertension was associated with an increased incidence of new atherothrombotic brain infa rct ion . 3 We also demonstrated in a prospect i ve study that at 3-year follow-up , risk factors for atherothrombotic brain infa rct ion were cigarette smoking , systolic or diastolic hypertension and diabetes mellitus in elderly men and systolic or diastolic hypertension , diabetes mellitus and obesity in elderly women . 4 This report correlates in elderly patients with chronic AF the prevalence of thromboembolic ( TE ) stroke with the presence or absence of rheumatic mitral stenosis , mitral anular calcium , valvular aortic stenosis , systolic or diastolic hypertension , prior myocardial infa rct ion , left atrial enlargement and LV hypertrophy
Few models had addressed the cumulative nature of risk factors where a combination of risk factors would confer a greater risk than either factor alone .
In patients at high risk of stroke , anticoagulation is cost effective , but not for those with a low risk of stroke .
The risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation ( AF ) needs to be assessed in each patient to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of thromboprophylaxis , with the aim of appropriate use of antithrombotic therapy .
To achieve this , stroke risk factors in AF population s need to be identified and stroke risk stratification models have been devised on the basis of these risk factors .
In this article , we firstly provide a systematic review of studies examining the attributable stroke risk of various clinical , demographic and echocardiographic patient characteristics in AF population s. Secondly , we performed a systematic review of published stroke risk stratification models , in terms of the results of the review of stroke risk factors and their ability to accurately discriminate between different levels of stroke risk .