Ischemic Stroke in Elderly Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Abstract Background The association of individual omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) with ischemic stroke remains unclear. Experimental data strongly suggest that n-3 FAs reduce ischemic stroke due to their anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Yet, recent clinical trials yielded mixed results. While marine n-3 FA supplementation (1g/day) did not reduce stroke, icosapent ethyl, a purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester (4g/day), significantly reduced stroke incidence in patients at high cardiovascular risk. In the current study, we examined the association of fish-derived EPA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the plant-derived alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) with the prevalence of ischemic brain infarcts in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis of the Swiss atrial fibrillation (swissAF) cohort study, we determined baseline whole blood n-3 FAs by gas chromatography according to the HS-Omega-3 Index methodology in 1665 patients aged ≥65 years with atrial fibrillation. Large non-cortical and cortical infarcts (LNCCI) were assessed by brain MRI. Total and individual n-3 FAs were correlated with the prevalence of LNCCI in a logit model with continuous factors. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, family history of cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, prior stroke, prior transient ischemic attack, aspirin, anticoagulation and type of atrial fibrillation. Results A total of 373 patients with LNCCI (22.4%) were identified. After adjustment, lower risk of LNCCI was associated with higher EPA (odds ratio [OR] 0.50 per increase of one percentage point EPA, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28–0.88) and a higher risk was detected with DPA (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.43–4.01). No statistically significant association was detected with DHA (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.94–1.35), ALA (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.23–2.95) or total n-3 FAs (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.92–1.16). Conclusions Higher levels of EPA are associated with a lower prevalence of ischemic infarcts in aged patients with atrial fibrillation. Unexpectedly, DPA shows a direct correlation with ischemic infarcts. This study demonstrates that individual n-3 FAs may differentially affect stroke risk and that supplementation of EPA may be an interesting strategy to prevent ischemic stroke in atrial fibrillation patients. Acknowledgement/Funding Swiss National Science Foundation

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Detection of Subclinical Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation and Its Correlation with Candidate Genes in Patients with Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke and TIA

Acta Medica Martiniana ◽

10.2478/acm-2021-0007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 42-53

Author(s):

A Petrovicova ◽

E Kurca ◽

A Andrasova ◽

J Bernatova ◽

P Blasko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Cryptogenic Stroke ◽

Preventive Treatment ◽

Correct Choice ◽

Control Group ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Loop Recorder ◽

Ischemic Attack

Abstract Introduction: Cardioembolic etiology is assumed to be the most frequent cause of cryptogenic strokes. The detection of subclinical paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is important in the correct choice of preventive treatment. The aim of this prospective study was to detect the incidence of AF in patients with a cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and to evaluate the association between the presence of AF and selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Methods: Patients with a cryptogenic stroke/ TIA (n=100) and a control group (n=15) of volunteers without significant cardiovascular disease were included in the study during the period of 2014 to 2019. To detect AF they underwent 12 months of ECG monitoring using an implanted loop recorder (ILR). Genotyping for SNPs rs10033464, rs2200733, rs225132, and rs2106261 was performed by a high resolution melting analysis. Results: We found AF to be present in 24 (24%) patients with a cryptogenic stroke/TIA, versus no subjects in the control group. The SNPs rs2106261, rs2200733, rs225132, and rs10033464 were not found to be associated with AF in our study (p=0.240; 1.000; 0.887; 0.589). However, a weak trend for a higher frequency of rs2106261 risk allele A homozygotes was observed in the patients with AF compared to the patients without AF (0.416 vs. 0.263, p=0.073). Homozygotes for allele A of rs2106261 were also present in a significantly higher frequency in AF patients compared to the controls (0.416 vs. 0.133, p = 0.012). Conclusion: In our study paroxysmal AF was a probable etiological factor in 24% of patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke / TIA during the 12 months of monitoring. The homozygous allele A of rs2106261 was identified to be the possible genetic risk factor of AF, but this should be verified in larger cohorts. The study has been registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT02216370.

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Prediction of Transition to Chronic Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly Patients with Nonvalvular Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation by Transthoracic Doppler Echocardiography

Clinical Cardiology ◽

10.1002/clc.20489 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 32 (11) ◽

pp. E23-E28 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Koichi Sakabe ◽

Nobuo Fukuda ◽

Yamato Fukuda ◽

Satofumi Morishita ◽

Hisanori Shinohara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Doppler Echocardiography ◽

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Chronic Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Transthoracic Doppler Echocardiography

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Abstract WP135: Sinus Bradycardia as a Potential Predictive Factor for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Stroke Patients

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.44.suppl_1.awp135 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Takao Hoshino ◽

Kentaro Ishiduka ◽

Takehiko Nagao ◽

Satoru Shimizu ◽

Shinichiro Uchiyama

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Predictive Factors ◽

Predictive Factor ◽

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Previous History ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Holter Ecg ◽

Significant Difference

Background and Purpose The detection rate of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in stroke patients is limited because they are often asymptomatic, or presenting sinus rhythm on ECG. To estimate the likelihood of PAF as a cause of ischemic stroke, we attempted to identify predictive factors for PAF using the data of sinus heart rate (SHR) on monitoring ECG. Methods We enrolled 711 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital with acute ischemic stroke. Exclusion criteria were (1) persistent AF; (2) cardiac pacemaker; and (3) incomplete clinical investigations. Minimum and mean SHR on 24-hour Holter ECG were obtained. The presence of PAF was judged based on previous history, initial ECG, 24-hour Holter ECG, and cardiac monitoring by inpatient telemetry. The clinical characteristics were compared between patients with and without PAF (PAF and non-PAF group, respectively), and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors for PAF. Results Of all enrolled patients, 577 patients were eligible for analysis, and PAF was confirmed in 110 (19.1%). Clinical parameters showing a significant difference between PAF and non-PAF groups included: age (mean, 74.1 vs. 66.6, P <0.001); dyslipidemia (32.7% vs. 50.8%, P =0.001); lack of intra- or extracranial stenosis (54.0% vs. 79.1%, P <0.001); chronic heart failure (17.3% vs. 4.9%, P <0.001); and NIHSS score (median, 8 vs. 6, P =0.002). Minimum and mean SHR were lower in PAF group than in non-PAF group (46.4 vs. 54.1 bpm, P <0.001; 71.0 vs. 73.8 bpm, P =0.021, respectively). Percentages of patients with PAF were highest in the lowest quartiles of minimum and mean SHR (Figure). Multivariate analysis showed minimum SHR as one of independent predictive factors of PAF (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.12; P <0.001). Conclusions Low SHR on monitoring ECG can be a novel predictive factor for PAF in ischemic stroke patients.

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Abstract P369: Polypharmacy, Adverse Outcomes, and Treatment Effectiveness in Elderly Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.141.suppl_1.p369 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aniqa Alam ◽

Nemin Chen ◽

Pamela L Lutsey ◽

Richard MacLehose ◽

J'Neka Claxton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Rate Control ◽

Treatment Effectiveness ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Pharmacy Claims ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Background: Polypharmacy is highly prevalent in elderly individuals with chronic conditions, including atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of polypharmacy on adverse outcomes and on treatment effectiveness in elderly AF patients remains unaddressed. Methods: We studied 338,810 AF patients ≥75 years of age with 1,761,660 active prescriptions [mean (SD), 5.1 (3.8) per patient] enrolled in the MarketScan Medicare Supplemental database in 2007-2015. Polypharmacy was defined as ≥5 active prescriptions at AF diagnosis based on outpatient pharmacy claims. AF treatments (oral anticoagulation, rhythm and rate control) and cardiovascular endpoints (ischemic stroke, bleeding, heart failure) were defined based on inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy claims. Multivariable Cox models were used to estimate associations of polypharmacy with cardiovascular endpoints and the interaction between polypharmacy and AF treatments in relation to cardiovascular endpoints. Results: Prevalence of polypharmacy was 52% (176,007 of 338,810). Patients with polypharmacy had increased risk of major bleeding [hazard ratio (HR) 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12, 1.20] and heart failure (HR 1.33, 95%CI 1.29, 1.36), but not of ischemic stroke (HR 0.96, 95%CI 0.92, 1.00), compared to those not with polypharmacy (Table). Polypharmacy status did not consistently modify the effectiveness of oral anticoagulants. However, rhythm control (vs. rate control) was more effective in preventing heart failure hospitalization in patients not with polypharmacy (HR 0.87, 95%CI 0.76, 0.99) than among those with polypharmacy (HR 0.98, 95%CI 0.91, 1.07, p for interaction = 0.02). Conclusion: Polypharmacy is frequent among elderly patients with AF, associated with adverse outcomes, and potentially affecting the effectiveness of AF treatments. Optimizing management of polypharmacy in elderly AF patients may lead to improved outcomes.

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