Stroke patients with atrial fibrillation have a worse prognosis than patients without: data from the Austrian Stroke registry.

Aims Stroke patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a poorer neurological outcome than stroke patients without AF. Whether stroke patients with AF also have a higher rate of medical complications is unknown. The aim of the study was to compare the in-hospital course of acute stroke patients with and without AF. Methods and results The Austrian Stroke registry was a prospective multi-centre study involving 57 medical departments documenting the hospital course of consecutive stroke patients from June 1999 to October 2000. AF was diagnosed in 304 (31%) of 992 patients. Patients with AF were older (79 versus 75 years, p 21 or comatose (odds ratio 3.13, 95% CI 2.26–4.32, p 75 years (odds ratio 3.15, 95% CI 1.85–5.37, p 100 min–1 (odds ratio 2.15, 95% CI 1.26–3.66, p =0.0049), obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio 2.58, 95% CI 1.03–6.48, p =0.0442) and creatinine >125 I¼mol/l (odds ratio 1.84, 95% CI 1.00–3.37, p =0.0479). Conclusion Stroke in AF is associated with a poor prognosis, an increased rate of medical and neurological complications and a higher in-hospital mortality than in no-AF.