Association between atrial fibrillation and silent cerebral infarctions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cause of stroke. Silent cerebral infarctions (SCIs) are known to occur in the presence and absence of AF, but the association between these disorders has not been well-defined.

Purpose

To estimate the association between AF and SCIs and the prevalence of SCIs in stroke-free patients with AF.

Data sources

Searches of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and EMBASE from inception to 8 May 2014 without language restrictions and manual screening of article references.

Study selection

Observational studies involving adults with AF and no clinical history of stroke or prosthetic valves who reported SCIs.

Data extraction

Study characteristics and study quality were assessed in duplicate.

Data synthesis<

SUBMITTER: Kalantarian S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5578742 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature