Incidence of cerebral thromboembolism and characteristics of patients with paroxysmal and persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation

We elucidate characteristics of patients with two subtypes of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF), paroxysmal and persistent/permanent AF, and compare the in-cidence of cerebral thromboembolism (CE) in two groups. Subjects included 336 consecutively admitted patients with chronic AF, 130 paroxysmal (group A) and 206 persistent/permanent AF (group B). The mean age of patients in group B (74.1 years) was significantly greater than that in group A (68.7 years). The risk of CE in group B (24.3% or 3.9%/year) was not significantly greater than that in group A (18.5% or 3.0%/year). The CEs were distributed primarily in patients of (3)60 years in groups A (79%) and B (92%). The incidence of CE in patients without under-lying diseases in group A was only 7.4% (p<0.001). Conclusions: The risk of CE in patients with paroxysmal AF is essentially equal to that in patients with persis-tent AF. Antithrombotic therapy is recommended for those patients of 360 years in both groups, and for patients with paroxysmal AF with underlying diseases.