Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, is an independent risk factor for stroke.AF-caused stroke has a high risk of recurrence and disability, mainly involving large cerebral artery.Thus, stroke prevention in AF becomes a major health priority. Anticoagulant therapy can significantly reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with AF.This review summarized the epidemiological status of AF-related stroke, and reported updated information on AF detection, risk assessment, anticoagulation as well as other preventive measures in stroke prevention in AF, in order to provide theoretical references for clinical practice. At present, the prevention of AF-related stroke still needs to be promoted. Better risk assessment model, as well as cost-effective and safe ischemic stroke prevention methods, are still need to be further studied. Key words: Stroke; Atrial fibrillation; Prevention; Risk assessment