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Internal and Emergency Medicine
Published in: Internal and Emergency Medicine 2/2010

01-04-2010 | IM - Editorial

The risk of myocardial infarction in patients with atrial fibrillation: an unresolved issue

Authors: Licia Polimeni, Ludovica Perri, Mirella Saliola, Stefania Basili, Francesco Violi

Published in: Internal and Emergency Medicine | Issue 2/2010

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Excerpt

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained dysrhythmia encountered in clinical practice in North America and Europe, accounting for approximately one-third of all hospitalizations for a cardiac rhythm abnormality [1]. The presence of AF markedly increases the patient’s risk for developing arterial embolism and stroke, depending on the presence of other clinical conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes [2]. AF is associated with a fivefold increased risk for stroke, and is estimated to cause 15% of all strokes. The rate of ischemic stroke among patients with non-valvular AF averages 5% per year, 2–7 times that of people without AF. Additionally, when transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and clinically “silent” strokes are considered, the rate of brain ischemia accompanying non-valvular AF exceeds 7% per year. Patients with AF frequently have several risk factors for atherosclerosis, including hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia [3, 4]. Accordingly, systemic signs of atherosclerosis can be detected in AF patients, and these likely account for an enhanced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). …
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Metadata
Title
The risk of myocardial infarction in patients with atrial fibrillation: an unresolved issue
Authors
Licia Polimeni
Ludovica Perri
Mirella Saliola
Stefania Basili
Francesco Violi
Publication date
01-04-2010
Publisher
Springer Milan
Published in
Internal and Emergency Medicine / Issue 2/2010
Print ISSN: 1828-0447
Electronic ISSN: 1970-9366
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-010-0352-2

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