Current status of clinical background of patients with atrial fibrillation in a community-based survey: The Fushimi AF Registry

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risks of stroke and death, and the prevalence of AF is increasing significantly. Until recently, warfarin was the only oral anticoagulant for stroke prevention, but novel anticoagulants are now under development.Methods and resultsThe Fushimi AF Registry is a community-based survey of AF patients. We aimed to enroll all of the AF patients in Fushimi-ku, which is located at the southern end of the city of Kyoto. Fushimi-ku is densely populated with a total population of 283,000, and is assumed to represent a typical urban community in Japan. On the basis of the general prevalence of AF in the Japanese (0.6%), we estimated the total number of AF patients as 1700. A total of 76 institutions, a large proportion of which were private clinics, participated in the study. At present, we have enrolled 3183 patients from March 2011 to June 2012 (approximately 1.12% of total population). The mean age was 74.2 ± 11.0 years, and 59.3% of subjects were male. The mean body weight was 58.5 ± 13.2 kg, and the proportions with a body weight of less than 50 kg and 60 kg were 25.7% and 55.0%, respectively. The type of AF was paroxysmal in 46.0%, persistent in 7.3%, and permanent in 46.7%. Major co-existing diseases were hypertension (60.6%), heart failure (27.9%), diabetes (23.2%), stroke (19.4%), coronary artery disease (15.0%), myocardial infarction (6.4%), dyslipidemia (42.4%), and chronic kidney disease (26.4%). The mean CHADS2 score was 2.09 ± 1.35: 0 in 11.8% of patients, 1 in 27.1%, and 2 in 29.1%. Warfarin was prescribed in only 48.5% of patients, whereas anti-platelet drugs, mainly aspirin, were prescribed for more than 30% of the patients.ConclusionsThe Fushimi AF Registry provides a unique snapshot of current AF management in an urban community in Japan.