<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Atrial fibrillation is one of major risk factors of cerebral infarction. The use of oral anticoagulants is the only evidence-based method of reducing the risk of cardioembolic accidents. The guidelines of oral anticoagulant admission and usage have been available since 2012. The results of this study show that of 550 stroke patients that were admitted to Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Rīga, Latvia, from 1 January 2014 until 1 July 2014, atrial fibrillation was diagnosed in 247 (45%) cases, and of these patients, only 8.5% used oral anticoagulants before the onset of stroke. Six months after discharge of 111 (44.9%) stroke survivors, five (4.5%) used no secondary prevention medication, 27 (24.3%) used antiplatelet agents, 54 (48.6%) warfarin, and 25 (22.5%) used target specific oral anticoagulants (TSOACs). The mortality rate was significantly higher in the patient group that used no secondary prevention medication or antiplatelet agents compared to the patient group that used oral anticoagulants. The use of oral anticoagulants for primary stroke prevention in Latvia is insufficient. The mortality of cardioembolic stroke in 180 days is very high - 40.4%. Secondary prevention is essential to prevent recurrent cardioembolic accidents.</p></abstract>

Atrial fibrillation is one of major risk factors of cerebral infarction. The use of oral anticoagulants is the only evidence-based method of reducing the risk of cardioembolic accidents. The guidelines of oral anticoagulant admission and usage have been available since 2012. The results of this study show that of 550 stroke patients that were admitted to Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Rīga, Latvia, from 1 January 2014 until 1 July 2014, atrial fibrillation was diagnosed in 247 (45%) cases, and of these patients, only 8.5% used oral anticoagulants before the onset of stroke. Six months after discharge of 111 (44.9%) stroke survivors, five (4.5%) used no secondary prevention medication, 27 (24.3%) used antiplatelet agents, 54 (48.6%) warfarin, and 25 (22.5%) used target specific oral anticoagulants (TSOACs). The mortality rate was significantly higher in the patient group that used no secondary prevention medication or antiplatelet agents compared to the patient group that used oral anticoagulants. The use of oral anticoagulants for primary stroke prevention in Latvia is insufficient. The mortality of cardioembolic stroke in 180 days is very high - 40.4%. Secondary prevention is essential to prevent recurrent cardioembolic accidents.

Problems of Cardioembolic Stroke Primary and Secondary Prevention in the Latvian Population / Kardioemboliska Cerebrāla Infarkta Primārās un Sekundārās Profilakses Problēmas Latvijā

Faculty of Continuing Education, Rīga Stradiņš University, Dzirciema iela 16, Rīga, LV-1007, LATVIA

Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Pilsoņu iela 13, Rīga, LV-1002, LATVIA

Department of Neurology, Rīga Stradiņš University, Dzirciema iela 16, Rīga, LV-1007, LATVIA

Department of Internal Medicine, Rīga Stradiņš University, Dzirciema iela 16, Rīga, LV-1007, LATVIA

Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Atrial fibrillation is one of major risk factors of cerebral infarction. The use of oral anticoagulants is the only evidence-based method of reducing the risk...

Problems of Cardioembolic Stroke Primary and Secondary Prevention in the Latvian Population / Kardioemboliska Cerebrāla Infarkta Primārās un Sekundārās Profilakses Problēmas Latvijā

Published Online: Apr 12, 2016

Page range: 199 - 204

Received: May 12, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/prolas-2015-0029

© by Kristaps Jurjāns

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.