Objective: To investigate the incidence of ischemic stroke and associated risk factors in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in Haikou.
Methods: Area through follow-up approach and evaluate the effect of antithrombotic therapy as well as the current status of treatment in patients with NVAF. Clinical data of 329 NVAF patients admitted to Hainan hospital from January 1999 to December 2001 were collected. The patients were followed up to identify the incidence of ischemic stroke and associated risk factors.
Results: The main cause of NVAF was coronary heart diseases, which happened in 207 cases (62.9%). The logistic regression analysis revealed that age, type of atrial fibrillation, and hypertension were significantly associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke in patients with NVAF (P=0.0001, 0.006, and 0.04 respectively). Antithrombotic treatments significantly decreased the incidence of stroke (P<0.05). But Warfarin was not applied consistently in Haikou.
Conclusions: Age, type of atrial fibrillation and hypertension are independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in patients with NVAF. Uninterrupted use of aspirin can be beneficial to patients with NVAF.