title: [Which antithrombotic treatment should be used in the treatment of an elderly patient with chronic atrial fibrillation?].
abstract: FREQUENCY AND CONSEQUENCES: The incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases regularly with age and affects nearly 10% of persons aged over 80. The risk of thromboembolism (notably stroke) associated is enhanced the older the patient and the more cardiovascular risk factors she/he exhibits. ADVANTAGES AND RISKS OF ANTICOAGULANTS: Treatment with anticoagulants is the only treatment that has demonstrated its efficacy in reducing the risks of thromboembolism, however there is a risk of haemorrhage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A patient with AF exhibits both a risk of thromboembolism and a risk of haemorrhage. When confronted with such patients, the practitioner must choose an antithrombotic (anticoagulant or anti-arrhythmic agent) after careful objective and individual assessment of all the risks present in a given patient.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011322:Primary Prevention; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000925:Anticoagulants; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D001241:Aspirin
vernacular_title: Quel traitement antithrombotique chez un patient âgé en fibrillation auriculaire chronique?