Acute Stroke With Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia and a major risk factor for stroke. Many physicians remain reluctant to provide stroke prevention by anticoagulant therapy especially for elderly individuals with AF. Using multivariate regression analyses, we studied the characteristics and the prognosis of stroke in patients with AF. Methods The study is part of the Copenhagen Stroke Study, a prospective, community-based study of 1197 patients with acute stroke treated on a stroke unit from the time of acute admission to the end of rehabilitation. Initial stroke severity was measured by the Scandinavian Neurological Stroke Scale (SSS). Neurological and functional outcomes were evaluated by the SSS and the Barthel Index. Results AF was diagnosed in 18% of the patients. AF increased steeply with age in the stroke population, from 2% in patients <50 years old, 15% in patients in their 70s, and 28% in patients in their 80s, to 40% in patients ≥90 years of age. In a multivariate analysis AF was assoc...