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. 2023 Jan 6;11(2):175.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare11020175.

Prevalence of Cardio-Embolic Brain Complications in Permanent and Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Ciprian Ilie Rosca  1   2   3   4 , Abhinav Sharma  4   5   6   7 , Daniel-Dumitru Nisulescu  8 , Gabriela Otiman  5 , Daniel-Marius Duda-Seiman  5 , Stelian Ioan Morariu  6   7 , Daniel Florin Lighezan  1   2   3 , Nilima Rajpal Kundnani  9
Affiliations

Prevalence of Cardio-Embolic Brain Complications in Permanent and Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Ciprian Ilie Rosca et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent of all cardiac arrhythmias, with an increasing prevalence in the last 20 years. Cardio-embolic brain complications (CEBC) related to AF often occur or recur, even following appropriate treatment. Method: We conducted a retrospective study and analyzed the presence of stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease (PD) in both paroxysmal and permanent AF patients. The records of 1111 consecutive admitted patients with primary diagnosis of AF at the Municipal Emergency University Hospital, Timisoara, between 2015 and 2016 were examined. Statistical analysis was performed on the patients included in the study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: A significant statistical difference was noted among the permanent AF group for stroke (48.75% vs. 26.74%, p < 0.001) and dementia (10.25% vs. 3.86%, p < 0.001) compared to paroxysmal AF patients. Permanent AF patients presented a higher risk of developing stroke, dementia, and PD compared to patients with paroxysmal AF. Meanwhile, male gender and an increase in age showed an increase in the odds of having cardio-embolic brain complications in patients with paroxysmal AF. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the risk of cardio-cerebral embolic complications is greater in permanent AF patients compared to paroxysmal AF cases. Ischemic stroke and dementia are more frequent in the permanent AF group, but analyzing the data regarding the age of onset paroxysmal AF is critical due to the fact that it involves a younger population. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help significantly in saving stroke patients.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; atrial fibrillation; cardioembolic brain damage; dementia; paroxysmal AF; permanent AF; stroke.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bar plot with the percentage of patients with neuro-psychiatric changes by AF types.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan–Meier survival probability without stroke. (Group 1—paroxysmal AF, group 2—permanent AF).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Incidence of dementia before AF diagnosis (AF—atrial fibrillation, group 1—paroxysmal AF, group 2—permanent AF).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Stoke’s repartition regarding onset time related to the AF diagnosis (PAF—paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, PerAF—permanent atrial fibrillation).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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