Overview
Atrial fibrillation is a major risk factor for stroke, making a person five times more likely to have a stroke.1 It’s important to find out if your cryptogenic stroke patients have underlying AF.
About Stroke and AF
What if you knew a cryptogenic stroke patient had AF? You’d use that information to help determine the proper treatment. The risk of stroke recurrence is four times greater among prior stroke patients with newly detected AF (15.5%) compared to those with either known AF or no AF (3.9%).2
Consider how many of your cryptogenic stroke patients may have underlying AF, and how their therapy could be adjusted if you knew for sure.
Unfortunately, AF can be difficult to diagnose. But there’s good news: Now it may be easier, with long-term monitoring.
1. National Stroke Association. http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=afib. Accessed November 20, 2011.
2. Kamel et al. J Stroke Cerebrolvasc Dis; 2009 Nov – Dec;18(6):453-7
Be Informed
Hear what your colleagues are saying about Cryptogenic Stroke
and AF