Prevalence of Peripheral Artery Disease by Abnormal Ankle-Brachial Index in Atrial Fibrillation: Implications for Risk and Therapy

Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice and is associated with a 5-fold increased risk for stroke . Moreover, patients with NVAF often suffer from atherosclerotic complications such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) . Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an established marker of systemic atherosclerosis but its prevalence in NVAF is still unclear. We reasoned that inclusion of ankle-brachial index (ABI), which is an established tool for diagnosis of PAD , in the CHA2DS2-VASc score would better define the prevalence of vascular disease.

Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology - August 16, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Francesco Violi, Giovanni Daví, William Hiatt, Gregory Y.H. Lip, Gino R. Corazza, Francesco Perticone, Marco Proietti, Pasquale Pignatelli, Anna R. Vestri, Stefania Basili, ARAPACIS Study Investigators Tags: Research Correspondence Source Type: research