The Epidemiology of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke

Francesca Pistoia; Simona Sacco; Cindy Tiseo; Diana Degan; Raffaele Ornello; Antonio Carolei

doi:10.1016/j.ccl.2015.12.002

The Epidemiology of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke

Cardiol Clin. 2016 May;34(2):255-68. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2015.12.002. Epub 2016 Mar 18.

Authors

Francesca Pistoia¹, Simona Sacco², Cindy Tiseo², Diana Degan², Raffaele Ornello², Antonio Carolei²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Neurological Institute, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, L'Aquila 67100, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.pistoia@univaq.it.
² Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Neurological Institute, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.

PMID: 27150174
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccl.2015.12.002

Abstract

The burden of stroke is increasing due to aging population and unhealthy lifestyle habits. The considerable rise in atrial fibrillation (AF) is due to greater diffusion of risk factors and screening programs. The link between AF and ischemic stroke is strong. The subtype most commonly associated with AF is cardioembolic stroke, which is particularly severe and shows the highest rates of mortality and permanent disability. A trend toward a higher prevalence of cardioembolic stroke in high-income countries is probably due to the greater diffusion of AF and the control of atherosclerotic of risk factors.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Cardioembolic stroke; Cryptogenic stroke; Epidemiology; Stroke.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Atrial Fibrillation / complications*
Atrial Fibrillation / epidemiology
Global Health
Humans
Incidence
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Stroke / epidemiology*
Stroke / etiology