Atrial fibrillation is one of the most important, common and clinically significant
arrhythmia. This arrhythmia alone is the most common that causes stroke, other systemic
thromboembolism (STE), and heart failure. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of
stroke 2.5-fold, the risk of heart failure 5-fold, and cardiovascular mortality 2-fold.
Prevalence in patients over 20 years of age is already 3%, and higher in selected
patient populations such as patients with hypertension, obesity, diabetes, heart failure,
renal failure, and valvular disease. Atrial fibrillation may occur in 2.3% of people
over 65 years of age. In the first half of 2010, the total number of patients with
atrial fibrillation was estimated at 33.5 million (of which 20.9 million were men),
but with regional heterogeneities. The incidence of atrial fibrillation is 0.2–0.4
/ 1,000 per year. Prevalence - based on European data - in the under-50 age group
is between 0.12–0.16%, in the 60–70 age group is between 3.7–4.2%, and in the 80 year
and older population it can reach 10% to 17%. The number of newly diagnosed patients
in Hungary is 0.46%, with a prevalence of 3.1%. In 2015, the number of patients treated
with atrial fibrillation was 306,914 and the number of newly diagnosed patients was
45,333. Based on European surveys, 14-17 million patients are expected to have diagnosed
atrial fibrillation by 2030, which means more than 100,000 new diagnosed cases per
year than now. The incidence of atrial fibrillation is increasing, therefore its appropriate
and up-to-date treatment is particular importance both at the level of primary care
and specialized care. In this publication, the authors present guidelines and challenges
related to anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation.
