CHADS score

[Amelia123_usa]

Does anyone know if the CHADS score of Female=1 is under consideration to be changed to Female=0, for the USA?

[Paulbounce]

Hi Amelia.

The current CHADs score gives women a 1 just because they are female. Some research has suggested they are not at an increased risk of stroke unless there are other heart problems alongside AFib.

It may change or it may not - who knows. Check out the American Heart Association who should keep you up to date. I just checked the website out and it looks good - full of useful information.

Rgds Paul

[CDreamer]

My understanding is that the whole algorithm is under review in the US but that nothing is unlikely to change soon.

[FraserB]

Research and guidelines on whether female sex is an independent risk factor for stroke in AF are still evolving, with no definitive conclusions. Some studies suggest that women may be overtreated, while others indicate undertreatment. Having AF is already a challenge and if you're a woman add one more important matter to sit down and discuss with your doctor based on your own health. Let alone what country you live in and their current AF guidelines regarding being female.

[BeatyBumper12]

What is CHADs and how is it scored?

[Amelia123_usa in reply to BeatyBumper12]

Hi BeatyBumper,

CHADS is a set of questions, the answers to which calculate stroke risk in patients with AFib. I tried to find a good explanation online. Didn't find what I wanted. One option is to check out Wikipedia:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHA...

If anyone else has a better way of explaining it, feel free to chime in.