Temporal trends in the incidence of atrial fibrillation-related strokes in Sweden, 2000-2017

Mozhu Ding , Karolinska Institutet
Alexandra Wennberg, Karolinska Institutet
Louise Dencker Ziegler, Danderyds sjukhus
Karin Modig , Karolinska Institutet

Background and aim: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing, but how this impacts the incidence of stroke is unclear. We aimed to investigate the temporal trends in the incidence of AF-related stroke in Sweden during the period 2000-2017. Methods: We used data from the total Swedish population aged 60 years and over each year during the period 2000-2017. First-ever stroke and AF were identified through the national patient registers and death register. AF-related stroke is defined as stroke event with documented AF diagnosis within 5 years before the event, at the time of event, or within 2 months after the event. Annual incidence rate of overall strokes and AF-related strokes were calculated for each calendar year. Results: The annual incidence rate of AF-related stroke declined during the period 2000-2017 (IR per 10000 person-years 2000 vs. 2017=30.2 vs. 23.2 for men; 31.1 vs. 20.8 for women). The strength of the association between AF and incident stroke also decreased over time in both sexes. On the other hand, the percentage of AF-related strokes out of all strokes increased during 2000-2017, from 22.7% to 29.7% for men and from 26.3% to 31.3% for women. Conclusion: In Sweden, the incidence of AF-related strokes among people 60 years and over declined during 2000-2017, so did the strength of the association between AF and risk of stroke. Yet the percentage of AF-related strokes out of all strokes increased over time, and one-third of all strokes were associated with AF by the end of 2017.

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 Presented in Session P1. Postercafe