Mariam Anjum and co-authors from the Afib.no network have published Norwegian national registry data on stroke and bleeding risk in atrial fibrillation patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1. The results were published in European Heart Journal.
Anjum and co-authors have studied a registry-based cohort of 1.1 million Norwegian individuals, all with a non-sex CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1, and with or without atrial fibrillation. Among individuals with atrial fibrillation, oral anticoagulation (OAC) was associated with a 53% lower risk of ischaemic stroke, compared to individuals with atrial fibrillation but not on OAC. Non-anticoagulated AF individuals had a 2.5 times higher risk of stroke compared to the general population without AF, but with the same risk profile (non-sex CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1).
The study results as well as the paper in the European Heart Journal have received publicity both in Norway and internationally. The study received a front page spread in Norway’s largest newspaper VG. In addition to extensive coverage on Twitter and other social media, it was now in December 2023 presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s ESC TV as well as in the American College of Cardiology’s weekly podcast Eagles Eye View. The study also received a positive review by John Mandrola in the podcast This Week in Cardiology.
The paper was published on November 23rd, 2023, along with an Editorial applauding the study. The Editorial authors specifically highlighted the importance of the advanced methods applied in the study, such as censoring all patients at the time of transition to a higher CHA2DS2-VASc score category. The authors of the Editorial concluded that a stroke reduction association was documented, and that the results “are robust (…) and should be added to the information reviewed when considering OAC in these intermediate-risk AF patients.”
The AFNOR study was initiated by Inger Ariansen (NIPH) and Trygve Berge (Vestre Viken, Bærum Hospital). A large group of afib.no members collaborate in this study, aiming to combine clinical competence in atrial fibrillation research with advanced pharmacoepidemiological research methods, to produce new knowledge on anticoagulation treatment in atrial fibrillation.
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