Clinical characteristics and stratification of the cerebrovascular accident risk among patients with atrial fibrillation in Colombia, 2011-2016

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia worldwide. This study aimed to determine the sociodemographic and clinical features of AF in a Colombian population. Methods: An observational, retrospective study was conducted using a sample of patients diagnosed with AF. Electronic medical records were reviewed to determine specific sociodemographic, clinical, risk stratification, outcome, and pharmacological variables. Results: A total of 357 patients with a mean age of 69.4 ± 13.3 years were included; 52.4% (n = 187) were women. Most patients (84.0%; n = 300) had an elevated risk of thromboembolism and an indication for anticoagulation, but 72 (24.0%) of these patients did not receive such treatment. Among the patients, 23.2% had HAS-BLED scores ≥3. During the study period, 76 patients (21.3%) had 121 adverse events, of which 75.2% (n = 91) were any bleeding events (major, minor, etc.) and 24.8% (n = 30) were thrombosis events (i.e., stroke). At the end of the follow-up period, the number of prescriptions for direct anticoagulants had increased, and warfarin decreased. Conclusions: AF primarily affects Colombian adults >65 years old. A high burden of comorbidities and a risk of thromboembolism were found in most patients; however, lack of treatment was evident in a large percentage of cases.