Trend in mortality after stroke with atrial fibrillation

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Neurology
• Public Health

Background:

• Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia increasing stroke risk.
• Stroke outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation require ongoing evaluation.
• Understanding mortality trends is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the mortality trend in patients experiencing stroke with atrial fibrillation.
• To analyze survival changes over distinct calendar year periods from 1980 to 2002.
• To examine sex-specific mortality trends, adjusting for key demographic and health factors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Danish National Registry of Patients to identify individuals aged 40-89 with incident stroke and atrial fibrillation.
• Employed multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression for mortality trend analysis.
• Followed subjects using the Danish Civil Registration System for vital status and emigration data.

Main Results:

• 24,470 subjects with stroke and atrial fibrillation were identified.
• A significant reduction in mortality was observed: hazard ratio of 0.65 in men and 0.69 in women in the latest period compared to the earliest.
• Survival rates improved substantially for both sexes over the study period.

Conclusions:

• Survival after stroke associated with atrial fibrillation has markedly improved in Denmark from 1980 to 2002.
• Further research is needed to account for potential confounding factors like changes in medical practices.
• The findings underscore the importance of continued monitoring of stroke outcomes in this patient population.