Sex Effect in Atrial Fibrillation

Over the past 25 years, our knowledge concerning embolic stroke, secondary to atrial fibrillation, has increased exponentially. Although it is well accepted that atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke in aggregate in a population ≈5-fold, several risk score models exist to further predict who will benefit from stroke prophylaxis with anticoagulants. The CHADS 2 risk score had been the standard in assessing risk in any individual patient with atrial fibrillation for several years. More recently, the CHADS 2 VASC score has become favored by more recent guidelines as the recommended algorithm to guide oral anticoagulant decisions. This risk model importantly includes female sex as an important risk factor in stroke secondary to atrial fibrillation. This inclusion of female sex as a risk factor was formed on the basis of multiple studies.