Atrial fibrillation is a common condition and risk factor for stroke.
At age 60 years, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation is 1%, increasing to
5% for patients aged 70 to 75 years and exceeding 10% in patients older than
80 years.1 The most common disease origins
of atrial fibrillation are hypertensive heart disease and ischemic heart disease.
The rate of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is
approximately 4.5% per year but varies widely depending on the patient's age
and coexistent diseases.1 The stroke rate in
patients without cardiovascular disease increases from 1.6% per year for patients
in their 60s to 3% per year for patients older than 80 years.1
Clinical risk factors that affect the stroke rate include the presence of
valvular heart disease, prior thromboembolism, hypertension, diabetes, congestive
heart failure (CHF), and coronary artery disease.