JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Strategies for primary and secondary stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac rhythm abnormality in adults, affecting 1 to 1.5% of the general population in the Western world and is the major risk factor for stroke with a fivefold risk compared with the general population. Pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies are available for controlling recurrent or permanent AF as well as for prevention of AF. Prevention of recurrent AF is one of the best protections against AF-related stroke and reduces the prevalence of stroke by almost 25%. Antiplatelet compounds are indicated for CHAD scores 0-1 and reduce the risk of stroke from AF by 20 to 25%. For CHAD scores >1 oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists is indicated and reduces the risk of stroke by 62%. Since inhibitors of coagulation factors Xa, VII , or II a have either not been clinically tested for their efficacy for prevention of stroke from AF, did not show a comparable effect to well-established drugs, or had excess side effects (idraparinux, ximelagatran), and since mechanical devices are highly questionable concerning their long-term effect, there is currently no alternative to oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists as primary or secondary stroke prevention in high-risk AF patients.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app