The aim of this study was to summarize healthcare costs incurred by patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who developed ischaemic stroke, explore factors associated with increased cost, and highlight the importance of anticoagulation therapy for stroke prophylaxis. A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the health economic evaluation database was conducted up to December 2015. Studies focused on the cost and/or resource utilization of ischaemic stroke in patients with AF were included. Reported costs were converted to international dollars (I$) and adjusted to 2015 values. Alongside the narrative review of included studies, Spearman's correlation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to explore factors associated with cost differences between studies. Sixteen studies published from nine countries were identified. Based on currency conversion rates in 2015, ischaemic stroke-related healthcare costs were estimated to be I$41 420, I$12 895, and I$8184 for high-income, upper middle-income, and lower middle-income economies, respectively. Local GDP per capita accounted for ∼50% of the healthcare cost variation among countries. Major component of overall cost was from hospitalization. Ischaemic stroke incurring in patients with AF ≥75 years was 2.3 times that of their younger peers (P = 0.049). The economic burden from ischaemic stroke in patients with AF is considerable with positive association to country income. Clinicians and stakeholders should be aware of the importance of anticoagulation therapies in stroke prophylaxis, the occurrence of stroke, and the downstream economic burden on an increasingly ageing population.
Keywords: Anticoagulation therapy; Atrial fibrillation; Healthcare cost; Stroke prophylaxis.
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