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[Mortality of cerebral infarction with auricular fibrillation. Results of a population study]
Insights
Atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly increases mortality risk following cerebral infarction (stroke). Patients with AF experienced double the mortality rates compared to those without, highlighting the need for AF screening in stroke patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia.
- Cerebral infarction (stroke) is a leading cause of death and disability.
- The relationship between AF and stroke mortality requires further investigation.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and mortality in patients who have experienced a cerebral infarction.
- To identify demographic and clinical differences between stroke patients with and without AF.
- To analyze mortality rates in stroke patients with and without AF over a 24-month period.
Summary:
- A population survey of 540 cerebral infarction patients found 162 (30%) had AF.
- The AF group had higher rates of women, older age, severe consciousness loss, and subcortical infarction.
- Mortality rates at 24 months were 40% for patients with AF versus 20% for those without AF.
Impact:
- Identifies atrial fibrillation as a significant risk factor for mortality after stroke.
- Emphasizes the importance of screening for AF in stroke patients to identify high-risk individuals.
- Provides crucial data for clinical decision-making and patient management strategies in stroke care.
Abstract:
To evaluate the relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and mortality of the cerebral infarction, we have studied in a population survey, 540 cerebral infarctions, whose 162 were with AF (30%) and 378 without AF (70%). The group with AF differs significantly from that without AF, by the higher frequency of women (62% versus 35%), older subjects (75.4 +/- 10.2 years old versus 69.1 +/- 9.7 years old), a severe loss of consciousness, a more frequent subcortical infarction on CT-Scan. During a period of 24 months, 139 patients died, 64 among the 162 patients with AF (40%), 75 among the 378 patients without AF (20%). Rates of death are different in the 2 groups with, in the group with AF, at 1, 6, 18 and 24 months a rate of 20, 24, 37 and 40 percent. To the opposite, in the group without AF, the rates are 8, 12, 16 and 20 percent. The authors try to research the factors that may explain the mortality linked to AF, and they insist on the necessity to look for AF on admission for a stroke, to identify a subgroup of stroke patients with a high risk of death.