Pre-Stroke Statin Therapy Improves In-Hospital Prognosis Following Acute Ischemic Stroke Associated with Well-Controlled Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.
Paweł WańkowiczJacek StaszewskiAleksander DębiecMarta Nowakowska-KotasAleksandra SzylińskaAgnieszka Turoń-SkrzypińskaRotter IwonaPublished in: Journal of clinical medicine (2021)
Many studies have confirmed the positive effect of statins in the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. Although several studies have concluded that statins may also be beneficial in patients with atrial fibrillation-related stroke, the results of those studies are inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of pre-stroke statin therapy on atrial fibrillation-related stroke among patients with a well-controlled atrial fibrillation. This retrospective multicenter analysis comprised 2309 patients with acute stroke, with a total of 533 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. The results showed a significantly lower neurological deficit on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at hospital admission and discharge in the group of atrial fibrillation-related stroke patients who took statins before hospitalization compared with those who did not (p < 0.001). In addition, in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in the atrial fibrillation-related stroke patients not taking statins before hospitalization than in those who did (p < 0.001). Based on the results of our previous research and this current study, we postulate that the addition of a statin to the oral anticoagulants may be helpful in the primary prevention of atrial fibrillation-related stroke.
Keyphrases
- atrial fibrillation
- oral anticoagulants
- catheter ablation
- left atrial
- left atrial appendage
- cardiovascular disease
- direct oral anticoagulants
- heart failure
- acute ischemic stroke
- percutaneous coronary intervention
- healthcare
- coronary artery disease
- chronic kidney disease
- end stage renal disease
- stem cells
- cross sectional
- clinical trial
- type diabetes
- bone marrow
- left ventricular
- patient reported outcomes
- cell therapy
- smoking cessation
- mitral valve
- climate change
- replacement therapy