Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in patients with ischemic stroke older than 55 yearsat the Alberto Antranik Eurnekian Hospital in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Background: A stroke is a neurological disorder that occurs when the blood supply to (part of) the brain is Interrupted. 87 % of the cases are caused by an Ischemia (Ischemic stroke). One of the principal causes is Atrial fibrillation (AF) being the most frequent sustained arrhythmia represented by 160 000 patients who develop it annually in the United States. AF generates a turbulent flow within the left atrial appendage, which causes the formation of intracavitary thrombus with the risk that they are expelled into the systemic circulation, possibly causing a stroke as a complication. The purpose of this research study is to establish the prevalence of AF in patients with ischemic stroke older than 55 years old in the clinic service of the Hospital Alberto Antranik Eurknekian from January through September 2022. Material and methods: This research study was conducted following a non- experimental, descriptive, quantitative, transversal and retrospective approach. Data were gathered upon the clinical records of patients older than 55 years old, who had an admission electrocardiogram (ECG) and had ischemic stroke evidenced in topographies of the brain in Hospital de Ezeiza. The following variables were analysed: age and sex, arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia, smoking, history of previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, as well as AF and AF under treatment. Results: The final sample of this study consisted of 49 patients, of whom 55, 1 % were male (N=27) and 44, 9 % female (N=22). 8, 2 % (N=4) of them had associated atrial fibrillation, among them, 75 % (N=3) were anticoagulated. 77,6 % (N=38) had hypertension, 40, 8 % (N=20) diabetes, 6, 1 % (N=3) used tobacco and 4,1 % (N=2) had obesity and dyslipidaemia. 16,3 % (N=8) suffered an ischemic stroke previously and 2 % (N=1) had a transient ischemic attack. Conclusion: It was found a high prevalence of AF in patients diagnosed with a stroke. Of these, 75 % were anticoagulated, but still developed the ischemic event. Regarding cardiovascular risk factors, the entire sample had a high prevalence of comorbidities, the most common being hypertension and diabetes.