Underusage of Oral Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation: Can We Prevent More Strokes?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in Australia, affecting 2% of the population, and 6% of those over the age of 55 years [1]. The greatest contributor to morbidity and mortality in AF is its association with ischaemic stroke [2]. AF increases the risk of cardioembolic stroke five-fold, with an annual incidence of up to 7% [3]. There have been several validated tools developed to help individualise stroke risk, such as the CHADS2 [4], CHA2DS2-VASc [5], and more recently the CHA2DS2-VA score [6], all of which require the input of several vascular risk factors.
Source: Heart, Lung and Circulation - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research