Atrial Fibrillation and Thrombosis: The Missing Molecular Links ⁎ ⁎

Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) confers a 5-fold increased risk of stroke and systemic thromboembolism (TE), especially in the presence of stroke risk factors (1). AF is common, and the TE manifestations are evident in many diverse cardiovascular conditions. For example, transient new-onset AF in acute myocardial infarction is a risk factor for stroke (2). Also, patients with left ventricular systolic impairment with associated AF are at high risk of TE (3). Fortunately, the use of anticoagulation therapy reduces the risk of stroke and/or TE (by 64%) as well as all-cause mortality (by 26%), whereas aspirin results in a nonsignificant 19% reduction in stroke and/or TE and a nonsignificant reduction in mortality (4).
Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research