Statin Therapy for Primary Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation: Guided by CHADS2/CHA2DS2VASc Score

Korean Circ J. 2014 Jul;44(4):205-9. doi: 10.4070/kcj.2014.44.4.205.

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The anti-arrhythmic effect of statins on AF prevention appears to be highly significant in most clinical studies. However, some discrepancies do exist among different clinical studies. Different clinical settings and types of stains used may explain these differences between trials. The CHADS2 and CHA2DS2VASc scoring systems have been used for stroke risk stratification in AF patients. The recent study suggested that these scores can also be used to guide statin therapy for AF prevention. Patients with higher scores had a higher risk of developing AF and gained more benefits from statins therapy than those with lower scores. This review article focused on the ability of these scores to predict AF prevention by statins.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors; Primary prevention.

Publication types

  • Review