Atria score to predict atrial fibrillation in acute ischemic stroke patients

Objective: Atrial fibrillation is closely associated with ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke has been shown to be more frequent in patients with atrial fibrillation than the normal population. The predictive factors of atrial fibrillation in patients with ischemic stroke have been investigated in several studies. The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship with atrial fibrillation and ATRIA score in ischemic stroke patients. Method: 104 patients who suffered a cerebrovascular event in sinus rhythm were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups as detected or undetected diagnosed atrial fibrillation in 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring applied during hospitalization. The ATRIA risk score was calculated for all patients. Results: Average of ATRIA score was found to be significantly higher in the group with detected atrial fibrillation (P = 0.001). The optimal cut-off value for ATRIA score to predict atrial fibrillation was >5 with a specificity of 78.4% and a sensitivity of 83.3% (area under the curve 0.866; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.786–0.924, p<0.001). The ATRIA score and its components had important significance in the univariate analysis. ATRIA score and ejection fraction (OR=1.360, 95% CI: 1.090-1.697, p=0.006; OR =0.900, 95% CI: 0.834-0.971, p =0.007 respectively) were observed to be associated with atrial fibrillation in the multivariate regression analysis. Conclusions: There is an independent relationship between the ATRIA score and the development of atrial fibrillation, in patients with ischemic stroke in sinus rhythm.