Female gender is an independent predictor of elevated stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Does anticoagulation reduce the risk of thromboembolic stroke in women with atrial fibrillation?
This review highlights female gender as an independent predictor of stroke risk in atrial fibrillation and discusses the role of anticoagulation in mitigating this risk.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia. The most serious complication of AF is thromboembolic stroke. The individual risk of stroke in the setting of AF varies. Several clinical factors have been identified as independent predictors of stroke in AF, including prior stroke, age, hypertension and diabetes. The bulk of available data identifies female gender as another independent predictor of stroke risk in AF. In this article, we review the link between AF and an elevated stroke risk in women, explore the potential pathophysiologic basis for this association and examine the data regarding the effectiveness of anticoagulation in reducing this risk.
Madias et al. (Sun,) conducted a review in Atrial fibrillation and stroke. Female gender vs. Male gender was evaluated on Stroke risk. Female gender is an independent predictor of elevated stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation.