Epidemiological approach to the atrial fibrillation patients

Abstract

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia observed in clinical practice. While the thromboembolic events are the most feared complications, these complications alone are responsible for 15% of all strokes. Anticoagulation therapy is the most effective way to prevent this significant complication caused by AF. Due to the disadvantages related to the recently launched new oral anticoagulants, warfarin still maintains its dominance as the gold standard agent. Pharmaceutical agents as well as demographic characteristics (age, sex, the type of AF, co-morbidities etc.) of the patients are crucial to provide effective coagulation. Since most of the studies on demographic characteristics of AF patients and the profile of oral anticoagulant use originate from the West and Far East, they do not reflect the real characteristics of our country. In this study, by analyzing the epidemiological studies conducted among AF patients in our country, we aimed to bring literature in data related to our society.

Keywords

• Atrial fibrillation, anticoagulation, demographic characteristics, epidemiology, guidelines

Atriyal fibrilasyon hastalarına epidemiyolojik yaklaşım

Abstract

Atrial fibrilasyon (AF) klinik pratikte en sık görülen aritmidir. En korkulan komplikasyonu tromboembolik olaylar olup tüm inmelerin % 15\'inden tek başına sorumludur. AF\'nin yol açtığı bu önemli komplikasyonu önlemenin en etkin yolu antikoagulasyondur. Antikoagülasyonu sağlamak için son dönemlerde ortaya çıkan yeni oral antikoagülanlarla ilgili çekincelerden dolayı altın standart ajan olarak warfarin hala üstünlüğünü sürdürmektedir. Efektif antikoagülasyon sağlamada kullanılan farmakolojik ajanların yanı sıra hastanın demografik özellikleri de (yaş, cinsiyet, AF tipi, komorbid durumlar vb.) büyük önem taşımaktadır. AF hastalarının demografik karakteristiği ve oral antikoagülan ilaç kullanım profili ile ilgili yapılan çalışmalar çoğunlukla Batı ve Uzakdoğu kökenli olduğundan ülkemizin gerçek karakteristiğini yansıtmamaktadır. Bu çalışmayla ülkemizde AF hastalarında yapılmış olan epidemiyolojik çalışmalar analiz edilerek toplumumuz ile ilgili verileri literatüre kazandırmayı amaçladık.

Keywords

• Atrial fibrilasyon, antikoagülasyon, demografik özellikler, epidemiyoloji, kılavuzlar

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