Objective: To create a risk score using clinical factors to determine whom to screen and monitor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients and Methods: The AF risk score was developed based on the summed odds ratios (ORs) for AF development of 7 accepted clinical risk factors. The AF risk score is intended to assess the risk of AF similar to how the CHA2DS2-VASc score assesses stroke risk. Seven v...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and pericardial fat. BACKGROUND Pericardial fat is visceral adipose tissue that possesses inflammatory properties. Inflammation and obesity are associated with AF, but the relationship between AF and pericardial fat is unknown. METHODS Pericardial fat volume was measured using computed t...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia and a major risk factor for stroke. AIMS To assess whether AF in patients with acute ischaemic stroke is associated with severe stroke and early death. MATERIALS/METHODS Patients with acute ischaemic stroke (15,831) who were registered in the Japan Multicenter Stroke Investigators' Collaboration registry were analysed. The AF group ...

AIMS Data on the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its antithrombotic management in elderly populations are scarce. The aims of this study were to estimate the incidence and prevalence of AF in the elderly in Germany and to describe antithrombotic management of AF cases. METHODS AND RESULTS Estimation of prevalence and incidence was based on data of three German statutory health in...

BACKGROUND Dietary induction of antisecretory factor (AF) can reduce diarrhoea in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Patients with neuroendocrine tumours may suffer from diarrhoea with a prominent secretory component. We studied if AF-therapy could affect this type of diarrhoea. METHODS Six patients with the midgut carcinoid syndrome and two with metastasizing medullary thyroid carcino...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) and heart failure often coexist; however, the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on the incidence of AF and on the outcome of patients with new-onset AF remains undefined. METHODS AND RESULTS In the CArdiac REsynchronisation in Heart Failure (CARE-HF) trial, 813 patients with moderate or severe heart failure were randomly assigned to ...

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is related to the degree of atrial fibrosis and plays critical roles in the induction and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation (AF). To investigate the association of the common promoter polymorphism rs1800469 in the TGF-β1 gene (TGFB1) with the risk of AF in Chinese Han population, we carried out a case-control study of two hospital-based independent popul...

Rate control is a widely used treatment strategy for management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Multiple studies have shown that pharmacologic rate control is as effective as pharmacologic rhythm control for management of AF. A snapshot ECG or intermittent monitoring using Holters is the most widely used technique for assessing ventricular rate during AF. Patients with implantable de...

Objective: To test the hypothesis that atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with changes in the expression of connexins 40 and 43 in the left atrium with more pronounced changes in mitral valve disease than in lone AF. Methods: Protein concentrations of connexin 40 and connexin 43 were analysed in left atrial tissue of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. One group of patients had lone AF (n ...

OBJECTIVE This article presents a study of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) and its long-term effects on mortality and heart rhythm. METHODS The study cohort consisted of 571 patients with no history of AF who underwent primary aortocoronary bypass surgery from 1999 to 2000. Postoperative AF occurred in 165/571 patients (28.9%). After a median follow-up of 6 years, questionnaires were o...