Abstract
Cerebral infarction is a serious complication of atrial fibrillation. To investigate temporal relationship between atrial fibrillation and cerebral infarction we reviewed clinical records of 79 patients in which transition from sinus rhythm to chronic atrial fibrillation was confirmed on electrocardiograms (Af group), and those of 79 patients with sinus rhythm who were matched with those of Af group for age, sex, blood pressure, glucose tolerance and observation period (control group). Cerebral infarction occured in 20 of 79 patients (25.3%) for Af group and in 8 of 79 patients (10.1%) for control group. The incidence was significantly greater in the former than in the later group (p<0.01). Among the 20 patients complicated by cerebral infarction of Af group 8 patients (40%) suffered from the episodes as early as within one year after the onset of atrial fibrillation. Cummulative incidence of cerebral infarction showed a rapid increase in the first two years of atrial fibrillation and a subsequent slow increase similar to that of control group. These results indicate the clustering of cerebral infarction during a few years after onset of atrial fibrillation and the decline of the incidence thereafter.
