What is the prevalence of atrial fibrillation and the rate of anticoagulant use among patients with ischemic stroke?
There is a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation among ischemic stroke patients, coupled with significant underutilization of anticoagulation, suggesting a need for improved screening and treatment.
Access to nationwide register data shows that AF is more common among patients with ischemic stroke than those previously reported. Few patients with stroke and AF had anticoagulant treatment before the event, and few got it after the event. CHA2DS2-VASc could be a useful monitoring tool to intensify efforts to diagnose AF among patients with cryptogenic stroke.
Friberg et al. (2014) studied this question.