Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Ischaemic stroke in women with atrial fibrillation: temporal trends and clinical implications
- Retrospective cohort study
- registry-linkage
- nationwide
Authors' conclusion
The association between female sex and IS rate has decreased and become non-significant over the course of the study period from 2007 to 2018
Study context
- Population
- Patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in Finland, 2007–2018 (Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF))50.0% women
- Participants
- 229,565 patients
- Exposure
- Women vs men
- Outcome
- Ischaemic stroke rate and rate ratio (temporal trends by sex)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Crude ischaemic stroke incidence · entire study period
P < 0.001
- Female sex independently associated with higher adjusted ischaemic stroke (IS) rate in 2007-08
- 20%-30%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
IS rate with and without oral anticoagulant (OAC) time, and OAC-free time only
- Similar trends observed
IS rate by baseline IS risk (subgroup)
- Decrease driven by high IS risk patients; in low or moderate IS risk, female sex not associated with higher IS rate
Original publication
Ischaemic stroke in women with atrial fibrillation: temporal trends and clinical implications. Eur Heart J. Published 12 April 2024. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehae198
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it