Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Mortality and Causes of Death After the First Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a risk factor for stroke. This study was undertaken to determine the influence of AF on the mortality of stroke patients and on the causes of death after a stroke event. Methods Patients with first ischemic stroke who were 35 to 74 years old and registered in the FINMONICA stroke register during 1982 through 1992 were analyzed (n=6912). There were 642 patients with AF (9.3%) (mean age, 67 years) and 6270 patients without AF (90.3%) (mean age, 63 years). The association between AF and stroke mortality was investigated by use of logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. Results Mortality was higher in the AF group both at 28 days (19.5% versus 14.4%, P<.001) and 1 year after the attack (30.5% versus 21.8%, P<.001). After adjustment for age and sex, the odds ratio for 28-day case fatality (AF versus non-AF) was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.56; P=.003), and that for 1-year mortality was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.63; P<.001). In the proportional hazard...