Is Atrial Fibrillation a Stroke Risk Factor or Risk Marker? An Appraisal Using the Bradford Hill Framework for Causality

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is strongly associated with stroke risk but association on its own does not necessarily imply causality. Is AF a cause (risk factor) of stroke? Would treatment that reduces AF burden also reduce the burden of stroke? Or, perhaps, AF is a risk marker associated with a vascular syndrome in which there is co-existing atrial structural and electrical remodelling that results in the clinical manifestation of AF and the risk of stroke in parallel. A number of recent studies appear to detach AF as a direct cause of stroke.

Source: Heart, Lung and Circulation - August 13, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: V. Malik, A.N. Ganesan, J.B. Selvanayagam, D.P. Chew, A.D. McGavigan Tags: Review Source Type: research