Abstract
Background: Liver cirrhosis is a confirmed risk factor for worse clinical outcomes of stroke, however the contribution of liver fibrosis to cardioembolic stroke (CES) and its short-term outcomes are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate whether liver fibrosis is associated with more severe stroke, worse short-term clinical outcomes of acute CES, due to nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), as well as the impact of sex on the association. Methods: Using data of 522 patients with NVAF admitted within 48 hours after acute symptom of CES onset. We calculated Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) and defined liver fibrosis as: likely advanced fibrosis (FIB-4>3.25), indeterminate (FIB-4, 1.45-3.25), unlikely advanced fibrosis (FIB-4<1.45). We invested the impact of liver fibrosis degree on stroke severity on admission, major disability at discharge and all cause death at 90 days stratified by sex. Results: Among 522 acute CES patients with NVAF, the mean FIB-4 on admission reflected intermediate fibrosis, whereas liver enzymes were largely normal. After adjusting for possible confounders, multivariate analyses revealed that likely advanced liver fibrosis was associated with severe stroke (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.04-3.54), major disability at discharge (OR=4.59, 95% CI: 1.88-11.18), and 90-days mortality (HR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.10-1.56). Further grouped by sex, these associations were stronger in males but not significant in females.Conclusions: In patients with largely normal liver enzyme, likely advanced liver fibrosis is associated with severe stroke, major disability and all cause death after acute CES due to NVAF; the association unfolded more obvious in males, but not for females.
A randomized trial to assess the impact of an antithrombotic decision aid in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: the DAAFI trial protocol [ISRCTN14429643]
