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October 1, 1978

Epidemiologic assessment of chronic atrial fibrillation and risk of stroke
The fiamingham Study

October 1978 issue
28 (10) 973

Abstract

Chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) as a precursor of stroke was assessed over 24 years of follow-up of the general population sample at Framingham, Massachusetts. Persons with chronic established AF, with or without rheumatic heart disease (RHD), are at greatly increased risk of stroke, and the stroke is probably due to embolism. Chronic AF in the absence of RHD is associated with more than a fivefold increase in stroke incidence, while AF with RHD has a 17-fold increase. Stroke occurrence increased as duration of AF increased, with no evidence of a particularly vulnerable period. Chronic idiopathic AF is an important precursor of cerebral embolism. Controlled trials of anticoagulants or antiarrhythmic agents in persons with chronic AF may demonstrate if strokes can be prevented in this highly susceptible group.

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Published In

Neurology®
Volume 28Number 10October 1978
Pages: 973
PubMed: 570666

Publication History

Published online: October 1, 1978
Published in print: October 1978

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Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

Philip A. Wolf, M.D
Department of Neurology (Dr. Wolf); and the Section on Preventive Medicine of the Division of Medicine (Drs. Dawber and Thomas), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Heart Disease Epidemiology Study (Dr. Kannel), National Heart and Lung Institute, Framingham, Massachusetts.
Thomas R. Dawber, M.D., M.P.H.
Department of Neurology (Dr. Wolf); and the Section on Preventive Medicine of the Division of Medicine (Drs. Dawber and Thomas), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Heart Disease Epidemiology Study (Dr. Kannel), National Heart and Lung Institute, Framingham, Massachusetts.
H. Emerson Thomas, Jr., M.D.
Department of Neurology (Dr. Wolf); and the Section on Preventive Medicine of the Division of Medicine (Drs. Dawber and Thomas), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Heart Disease Epidemiology Study (Dr. Kannel), National Heart and Lung Institute, Framingham, Massachusetts.
William B. Kannel, M.D., M.P.H.
Department of Neurology (Dr. Wolf); and the Section on Preventive Medicine of the Division of Medicine (Drs. Dawber and Thomas), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Heart Disease Epidemiology Study (Dr. Kannel), National Heart and Lung Institute, Framingham, Massachusetts.

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Cited By
  1. Neurological Consequences of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Relationship Between Stroke, Cognitive Decline, and Heart Rhythm Disorders, Cureus, (2024).https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57159
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  2. Optimizing Anticoagulation in Valvular Heart Disease: Navigating NOACs and VKAs, Journal of Personalized Medicine, 14, 9, (1002), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14091002
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  3. Cerebral Microbleeds Associate with Brain Endothelial Cell Activation-Dysfunction and Blood–Brain Barrier Dysfunction/Disruption with Increased Risk of Hemorrhagic and Ischemic Stroke, Biomedicines, 12, 7, (1463), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12071463
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  4. Investigating the Interplay between Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Disease, Biology, 13, 10, (764), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13100764
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  5. Chaos control in cardiac dynamics: terminating chaotic states with local minima pacing, Frontiers in Network Physiology, 4, (2024).https://doi.org/10.3389/fnetp.2024.1401661
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  6. Pie in the sky appearance – Unraveling rheumatic heart disease in a pediatric stroke, Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, 0, (1-3), (2024).https://doi.org/10.25259/JNRP_158_2024
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  8. Subclinical thyroid dysfunction and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis, PLOS ONE, 19, 1, (e0296413), (2024).https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296413
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  9. Analysis of Influencing Factors of Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Supraventricular Tachycardia after Radiofrequency Ablation, Advances in Clinical Medicine, 14, 03, (1104-1109), (2024).https://doi.org/10.12677/ACM.2024.143816
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  10. Left atrial remodeling and voltage-guided ablation outcome in persistent atrial fibrillation patients according to CHA2DS2-VASc score, BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 24, 1, (2024).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-024-04009-4
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