A F and stroke risk

[higgy52]

They say if you have A F your 5 times mor likely to have a stroke,

But iv'e had 3 Ablations and A F free at the moment, so whats the stroke risk now, any comments please, Still taking Anticoagulants at moment

[Jalia]

I'm pretty sure that the stroke risk remains the same , odd though that may sound .

I expect Bob will confirm that shortly....or deny !!

[CDreamer]

The risk is thought to remain the same although opinion varies. If you are young, fit & have proof (through 24/7 monitoring) that you haven’t had AF for 12 months the you may get EP to agree to come off- mine very reluctantly agreed until I was 65 - 5 months later I had a TIA.

Advice in the US differs.

[BobD Volunteer]

Ablation does NOT remove stroke risk so still the same. In fact ablation itself can actually increase the risk of blood pooling in the heart due to the scarring from the burns which can result in eddy currents.

[higgy52 in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob

Suppose it's a bit of a lottery, A friend of mine had 3 Ablations and decided to come off Anticoagulants a few years ago and he's fine,

[Thomas45 in reply to higgy52]

For now he may be, but he is still more likely to have a stroke than a person who has never had AF.

[higgy52 in reply to Thomas45]

Not sure about that, he keeps his self fit and his blood pressure is okay,

only time will tell

[jedimasterlincoln]

My stroke risk was always 0. I was coagulated for ablation and for a couple of months after.

[MarkS]

Bob's right, an ablation hasn't been shown to reduce stroke risk. This is because the underlying cause of both AF and strokes is inflammation and inflammation is still there after an ablation.

However I'm coming round to the view that an anticoagulant should be taken by everyone with AF, even with CHADS scores of zero. Not only would it help prevent strokes but it also helps protect the brain from dementia.

[Jafib]

So, for 10 years I was on meds to control AFib and my doctors never even suggested I use anticoagulants and I never had an issue. Now, they have had me on them for a month before my 12/3/2018 ablation and am still on them. Seems like I should be able to come off them since my heart is in rhythm. Also skeptical of all-positive and zero-negative endorsements of any medication (poison). I’ve always strived to be as natural as possible.

[cuore]

I believe there is an on-going Oceans trial that is addressing the issue.