Patient Advocates & Clinicians Together Logo

Making Best Practice, Every Day Practice

Atrial fibrillation

Featured articles

View Atrial fibrillation Articles

About atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been diagnosed in about 1.3 million patients and many more remain undiagnosed.

AF increases the risk of stroke up to five times and is significantly associated with death and hospitalisation, as well as being strongly linked to heart failure and vascular dementia.

Early detection of atrial fibrillation is critically important, with an increased frequency of pulse checks in those >65 years shown to simply identify patients at risk.

There have been important developments in the use of anticoagulant therapy.

Evidence based tools for risk assessment – particularly CHA2DS2-VASc Score is recommended to maximise the risk of bleeding in non-valvular AF.

New therapeutics – The direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) – have offered more convenient and easier to use therapy versus the previous standard of Warfarin. Direct factor Xa inhibitors (Adixaban, Rivaroxoban and Endoxaban) and the direct thrombin inhibitor (Dabigatran) have become widely used in primary care.

Effective management of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and has a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. Treatment is tailored to the individual. This article will review the rhythm-management strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation, and discuss the roles of secondary and tertiary care.

What is the real role of anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation and stroke?

The majority (84%) of people with AF are over the age of 65 years. In the UK, the prevalence of AF is 7.2% for patients aged 65 and over. AF is a particularly important risk factor for stroke in the elderly. 15% of all strokes are associated with the arrhythmia, increasing to 36% in people over the age of 80. The prevalence of AF is higher in men at all ages, although the overall number of patients with AF is approximately equal between the sexes because of unequal death rates. In overall terms, approximately 50% of patients with AF are 75 or over, and over half of these are women.

Atrial fibrillation: a significant risk factor for stroke

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest sustained arrhythmia, affecting 1.2% of the population, which equates to more than 600,000 people in England. The prevalence of AF increases with age, with 8.4% of the over-65 age-group affected and also it is increasing in incidence and prevalence.Each year there are 150,000 strokes in the UK. Nearly one in five (18%) of the people presenting with a stroke are in AF at the time of presentation, and one in six strokes are directly attributable to AF.

Join our community of Primary Care Professionals today

Educational Partners

point six logo UK Stroke Forum Logo PoTS UK logo Oberoi Consulting logo