Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the United Kingdom with a point prevalence of 2.5%. The diagnosis of AF is associated with a five-fold increase in the risk of stroke. These strokes are often more severe and confer a greater loss in quality of life when compared to non-AF strokes. Anticoagulation is offered to individuals deemed to be at a high risk of stroke, using internationally recognised risk scores such as CHA2-DS2-Vasc (now CHA2-DS2-VA), and reduces the risk of stroke by up to two-thirds.
