Fast Five Quiz: Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, coexisting with vascular disease in about 30% of patients. It exerts a significant burden on individuals and healthcare systems around the world. In 2017, 37.5 million cases of AF were recorded globally, which represented a 33% increase over the prior two decades. Estimates suggest that by the year 2050, up to 12 million individuals in the United States alone will be affected by AF, and by 2060, 17.9 million people in Europe will have AF. The presence of AF has been shown to independently increase mortality risk, which is highest during the first year after AF manifests. Between 17% and 46.5% of patients with AF have underlying coronary artery disease, and their risk of experiencing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (ie, unstable angina, non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [MI], or ST-segment elevation MI) up to three times higher than that of the general population. Patients with AF and ACS also have a particularly high risk for recurrent coronary events (eg, MI or stent thrombosis), stroke, and cardiovascular mortality. To improve outcomes, clinicians must balance the risk for bleeding, cardiac embolism, and coronary thrombosis with appropriate therapeutic combinations.

How much do you know about AF and ACS? Test yourself with this quick quiz.

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Sandeep K. Goyal. Fast Five Quiz: Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome - Medscape - Mar 10, 2022.

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